JAPAN TO GET ELECTRIC MITSUBISHI IN JULY

Mitsubishi Motors to Preempt Rivals’ Electric Cars
Naoko Fujimura and Tetsuya Komatsu, June 5, 2009 (Bloomberg News)

"Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the maker of the i MiEV electric car, will begin selling the model to corporate and government customers in Japan next month before Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. introduce rival versions.

"The i MiEV electric car [which can travel 160 kilometers (99 miles) per single charge of its lithium-ion battery] will cost 4.6 million yen ($47,500)…That excludes as much as 2.4 million yen in subsidies available to buyers from central and local governments. The company aims to sell 1,400 units domestically in the year ending March 31."

It must be a great car or the girl would be wearing a much tighter, skimpier outfit. (click to enlarge)

"Mitsubishi Motors joins Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. in unveiling electric cars ahead of Toyota’s and Nissan’s release of similar models by 2012. While automakers plan to tap demand spurred by government incentives and stricter emission rules, price and a shortened driving range may hinder sales…

"The company, which built 1.31 million vehicles in 2008, plans to make electric vehicles 20 percent of production by 2020…[may add a commercial mini vehicle and a small car to its electric vehicle lineup in 2011 and is developing a plug-in hybrid car…[and] aims to make its electric-car business profitable in the year starting April 2013 on sales of 30,000 units. It plans to sell 15,000 electric cars in 2011."

The battery is so big it has to be spread across the under-carriage. (click to enlarge)

"While Mitsubishi Motors plans to start taking consumer orders for the i MiEV next month for delivery in April 2010, it faces competition… The [lower-cost electric-gasoline hybrid] Toyota Prius, priced from 2.05 million yen, was the best selling model excluding minicars last month in Japan, with sales topping 10,000 units…The [lower-cost electric-gasoline hybrid] Insight, priced from 1.89 million yen, ranked third with 8,183 units sold.

"Nissan, Japan’s third-largest automaker, has said it plans to introduce electric cars in Japan and the U.S. in 2010 and mass-produce them globally in 2012. Toyota, the world’s largest maker of gasoline-electric hybrid car, is also developing electric cars for sale in 2012…In the U.S., General Motors Corp., the world’s second- largest automaker, plans to sell the Chevrolet Volt electric car next year. Germany’s Daimler AG acquired a 9 percent stake in Tesla Motors Inc., a U.S. electric-car startup, in May…"