Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors has announced that its Outlander Sport model would soon be introduced in Indonesia and be assembled at its new factory in Pulogadung, East Jakarta.

Osamu Matsuko president of Mitsubishi Motors on 25th January attended the inauguration of the plant, which will cost Rp 250 billion (US$ 28 million).

The Outlander Sport, a compact crossover vehicle, will be available mid-year, prior to the Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries' (Gaikindo) annual international show.

"The production capacity for the factory could reach 1,000 units per month. During early production it will be at around 500 units," Matsuko said. Since its introduction in the country 41 years ago, Mitsubishi has sold two million vehicles.

Rizwan Alamsjah, executive director for marketing at Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian Motors, said that up to 1997, Mitsubishi had sold a total of 1 million cars in Indonesia and by September 2005, sales numbered 1.5 million units.

In 2011, Mitsubishi booked a record high for annual car sales by selling 134,416 units, a 26.2 percent increase from 2010. Mitsubishi said its share in the Indonesian market rose to 15 percent in 2011 from 13.9 percent in 2010.