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5,628 views Jun 20, 2009

Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car

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Constant speculation over the course of the last few months has put the price of the i-MiEV anywhere from $40,000 to $49,000.  However, with production underway and the first lessees walking away with their own i-MiEVs, Mitsubishi has finally set the actual price of the vehicle.  Converted to U.S. dollars, it comes in right around $47,000

Though the i-MiEV won't officially go on sale in Japan until April, its nice to know what it will set you back.  Mitsubishi has also come forth with full spec sheets included at the end of this post.

Exact price of the i-MiEV 4.599 million Yen or about $46,929 at today's exchange rate.

The vehicle will initially only be available for purchase in Japan, though other countries including the U.S. will soon follow with sales. 

If you live in Japan and have the money listed above, you can place your order for one beginning in July and take delivery next spring. 

The vehicle is costly, but does receive a tax credit of close to $14,192 from the clean energy vehicle program started by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.  For comparison purposes, the Insight and the Prius come in close to 2 million Yen in Japan, or less than half the cost of the electric Mitsubishi.

According to Osamu Masuko, President of Mitsubishi, "This is no the price that ordinary people can easily buy.  But as we increase our production, we aim to cut the price below 2 million Yen."

If that can be done, Mitsubishi will have a real worldwide hit on their hands.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Source:  Wards Auto (Login Required) and Mitsubishi Press Release

Mitsubishi Motors to Bring New-Generation EV i-MiEV to Market

Delivery to corporate, governmental and local authority users starts late July; Sales to individuals to start April 2010

Tokyo, June 5, 2009 --

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation today, on World Environment Day, unveiled the production version of the i-MiEV¹²new-generation electric vehicle (EV), describing it as "the pioneer that will open the door to the next 100 years of our automobile society." The i-MiEV will go on sale on the Japanese market in late July of this year.

The i-MiEV represents the crystallization of some 40 years of electric vehicle development at Mitsubishi Motors. The company is presenting the production i-MiEV as the ultimate eco-car, a solution to the various challenges the automobile faces today including environmental pollution, global warming and the depletion of petroleum-based energy supplies. The company will continue its extensive collaboration with both private and public sectors in Japan and overseas in developing infrastructure to promote ownership of EVs.

Mitsubishi Motors expects to distribute, on a maintenance lease³basis, some 1,400 i-MiEV models in fiscal 2009 principally to corporations and to local authorities. The company plans to start sales of i-MiEV to individuals in April 2010 and will start taking orders on the Mitsubishi Motors web site in late July of this year.

¹: MiEV: Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle
²: i-MiEV : For the full production model a hyphen has been added to the name by which the advance experiment and proving models have been known.
³: Maintenance lease: A lease in which the monthly payments include some of the taxes, insurance and maintenance costs.

The i-MiEV

i-MiEV : Overview
The i-MiEV makes maximum use of the long wheelbase that stems from its base model the "i" minicar's rear-midship layout to install a large capacity lithium-ion drive battery under the floor and the power unit under the luggage compartment. This provides a cruising range that is ample for everyday use without compromising the generous seating or luggage space of the "i."

The introduction of the MiEV OS (MiEV Operating System)⁴ - an advanced integrated vehicle management system into which the company has poured its wealth of know-how garnered from many years of EV research and development - has provided the kind of high performance and reliability that befits a new-generation EV.

⁴Generic name for the integrated vehicle management system developed by Mitsubishi Motors for new-generation EVs.

Principal product features

1. Zero drive-time CO2 emissions
The i-MiEV is a zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) which produces no CO2 emissions while being driven. Even when the CO2 gas emitted at power generating stations is taken into consideration, the i-MiEV generates approximately one-third of the CO2 produced by the gasoline "i" minicar (Calculated in-house based on the average of electric energy frameworks in Japan).

2. Driven 100% by electrical power
The i-MiEV is very economical because it only uses electrical energy as its power source. Also, depending on electric power company rate fees, the running cost can be reduced further by charging the battery when off-peak (late night) rates apply⁵.
⁵An application must be submitted to the electric power company to qualify for domestic late night rates.