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

PR Log (Press Release) – Jun 10, 2009 – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation today, on World Environment Day, unveiled the production version of the i-MiEV  *1 *2   new-generation electric vehicle ( http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/microsites/imiev.aspx ) (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 lease *3  basis, 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 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.

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