Happy 10th, Mitsubishi i-MiEV

June 11,2019

IT HAS been exactly a decade since the zero-emission Mitsubishi i-MiEV city car was launched, and Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) is marking the model’s 10th year saying it “paved the way for the automotive industry’s seismic shift towards mass-produced electric vehicles.”

MMC said the the i-MiEV accelerated its research and development into EV powertrains, directly leading to the 2013 launch of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The Outlander PHEV has been Europe’s best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle from 2015 to 2018, according to the carmaker.

It noted combined sales of the i-MiEV and Minicab MiEV in the 10 years since introduction have reached 31,000 units globally by the end of April.

The powertrain from the i-MiEV was used in the Minicab MiEV commercial vehicle, which was released in 2011.

MMC said it would supply Japan Post 1,200 Minicab i-MiEV units this September. It added that, although small, the Minicab MiEV is spacious enough to be useful for delivery companies in cities.

Since its introduction, the i-MiEV has gained a reputation for its eco-friendly qualities, quietness, driving performance and economy, according to MMC. The company said the i-MiEV has been praised not only for its environmental credentials but also through its visibility in government use in many countries, as well as in taxi and rental fleets.

MMC had earlier declared its thrust into EVs, together with Renault and Nissan with which it has an alliance, is expected to produce 12 new EV models by 2022. Two of these EVs will come from Mitsubishi a year earlier. Of the dozen, 70% will sit on platforms shared among the three carmakers. Each company will share all the components — whether these are intended for the cockpit, engine bay, electronic architecture, or front and rear underpinnings — related to electric mobility with one another. And these EVs — Mitsubishis, in particular — can travel farther on a single charge.

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