Beefed up i-MiEV heads to the States

The USDM i-MiEV will make its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it is 285 mm longer, 110 mm wider and 5 mm taller than the JDM version. Changes have been made also to the interior.

Mitsubishi to launch plug-in hybrid SUV in 2013

Do you remember the Mitsubishi PX MiEV Concept? It was presented at 2009 Tokyo Motor Show and I found it a nice looking concept. So, what new now about it? Actually, according to Yoshikazu Nakamura, senior executive officer of Mitsubishi's global electric vehicle business, a plug-in hybrid SUV will be launched in 2013. The car will be similar to the concept.

The PX MiEV Concept was powered by a 1.6-liter four cylinder engine mated to a hybrid system with two electric motors, one for the front wheels and one for the rear. Mitsubishi hasn't named its plug-in hybrid SUV, but it will carry the "MiEV" (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) moniker, Nakamura said. 

Now, just a question... what's the point in having cars like RAV4 EV and PX MiEV? I really think that "eco" technologies should be available in mass produced cars, but a big SUV with a limited mile range on the EV mode is destined for commuting, isn't it? So, people still want SUVs in order to move in big cities... and therefore, the marketing guys came up with this brilliant idea! Bring out a relatively green big SUV (after all, the tag "green" is the important bit), which in fact is not necessarily a green car... The fundamental element for a green car is weight reduction and if weight is low, then the 30-mile range of an SUV on EV mode can easily become 100-miles...

[Source: Automotive News]

5000 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs produced to date

Mitsubishi has already manufactured 5,000 i-MiEVs as of 23 November, which are produced at its Mizushima plant. Production for PSA (Peugeot & Citroen) is not included. The production of the small EV vehicle started in June 2009 and more than 3,000 vehicles have been sold in Japan. Euro-spec i-MiEV production started in October 2010 and is steadily proceeding with global rollout.

Slight change of Mitsuoka Like spec

Mitsuoka has announced some slight changes for its i-MiEV version, called Like (ライク), prior its release on 26 November. The visual change is related to the license plate frame on the grille, which is shown in the last photo. The car will also feature a warning sound for pedestrians.

The Like is priced at 4,280,000 ¥.

Nissan and Mitsubishi dealer alliance for mutual use of fast chargers

Nissan and Mitsubishi EV dealers across Japan have agreed for mutual use of the quick chargers. I reckon that this is a smart move and it will encourage people to buy an EV...

[Source: GAZOO.com]

Mitsubishi reveals sketches of new small global car

Mitsubishi has revealed those official sketches of its upcoming small global car, which is going to be produced in a new facotry in Thailand. The new model will be sold in emerging markets, as well as Japan, but it is not known whether it will make to Europe. Expect to see it at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

[Source: Autocar]

Largest public EV trial in UK with i-MiEVs completed - some facts

EVs... are not anymore the type of car living in our fiction, you know - in the distant future, cars will be electric, they won't have wheels etc - they are here and it won't take so much time until we see them on a regular basis. The Leaf has won the 2011 Car of the Year award in Europe and although Toyota and Honda still hold back from this electric "race", people will soon have a variety of models to choose from.

The limited range and the lack of infrastructure in most countries are limiting factors and it will take time until everyone is able to choose between a "normal" car and EV, but now that the largest public EV trial in UK has ended, at last some real-world data is available. Below are some interesting facts from the press release.

The first stage of the Government-supported UK-wide project to trial low emission vehicles started with the 25 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) in Birmingham. The vehicles were handed over to independent drivers in Centenary Square, on 12th December 2009.


Collating the real-life usage of electric vehicles through the data logging devices that were fitted to the i-MiEVs has allowed essential analysis to take place so that there is an understanding of the demands and requirements of electric vehicles for consumers.

The i-MiEV has proved its reliability and usefulness during the official trials. For example, the average daily mileage has been confirmed at just 23 miles, which is well within the i-MiEVs 93 mile range, and drivers used the entire speed range of the car of 81 mph, showing they are happy to drive at motorway speeds when required.

The ultra-low running costs of the i-MiEV are a key advantage over other cars, with additional incentives including:

• Fuel cost only £270 for 12,000 miles driving (£2.09 per full charge based on an average of £0.10 per kWh)
• If using an Economy 7 tariff, this cost could be as little as £135 for 12,000 miles driving (£1.05 per full charge based on an average of £0.05 per kWh)
• Low servicing costs and downtime – only approximately 4 working parts compared to over 300 in a typical internal combustion engine
• Exempt from road tax
• First year capital allowances for fleet vehicles
• Zero benefit-in-kind company car tax
• Exempt from London Congestion Charge
• Free parking in some London boroughs and cities such as Milton Keynes
• High residual values at 38% after 3 years and 30,000 miles

The most up to date results are to be published later this month, so stay tuned...

Nissan - Mitsubishi alliance tightens

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation today announced that the two companies agreed to expand their current scope of cooperation (earlier post) towards new projects that will further strengthen mutual competitiveness, especially in the Japanese mini car and global commercial vehicle businesses.

Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors currently have several OEM agreements for vehicles in the Japanese market, including for mini cars and commercial vehicles. In addition to expanding the scope of the current OEM partnership, the two companies agreed to study new opportunities which would generate additional synergies. The cooperation agreement between Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors will be complementary to any agreements the two parties have already established with other partners.


Regarding the expansion of the OEM partnership, the following have been agreed:

• Nissan to provide a light van/wagon to Mitsubishi Motors for the Japanese domestic market 
• Mitsubishi Motors to provide an SUV to Nissan for markets in the Middle East

Discussions are ongoing for Nissan to provide Mitsubishi Motors with upper-end segment models for the Japanese domestic market.

Regarding new opportunities, two projects are currently under study:

• The manufacture of the current generation of Nissan Navara pickup truck at Mitsubishi Motors' plant in Thailand. Longer-term, the two companies are evaluating manufacturing and engineering collaboration of a new generation one-ton pickup truck. 
• Establishment of a 50:50 joint venture for product planning and engineering of mini cars for the Japanese domestic market.

Suzuki launches new Solio - available also by Mitsubishi

Suzuki has launched the new Solio in Japan today and there are no surprises, since a lot of brochure images have leaked in the past, which of course I have posted. I have to admit that I really like its design and it's a shame that we won't get it in Europe. Perhaps Suzuki should consider bring it over here, since the small MPV-ish segment becomes increasingly popular (e.g. Toyota Verso-S, upcoming Subaru Justy etc.) 

Suzuki claims that the new Solio is fun to drive, easy to use and with a better fuel economy. The 1.2 L engine, producing 91 hp, comes from the new Swift and it is coupled to a CVT gearbox achieving a fuel efficiency of 22.5 km/L.

Sales target is around 12,000 units per year and following an agreement between Suzuki and Mitsubishi, Suzuki will supply Mitsubishi with around 800 units per month. Mitsubishi will start selling its variant of Solio in spring 2011.

Prices start from 1,382,850 ¥ for G grade (2WD) and the next grade, called X, costs 1,509,900 ¥ (1,632,750 ¥ for the 4WD version). Top grade S costs 1,624,350 ¥ (1,747,200 ¥ for the 4WD version).

Mitsubishi's Solio variant to be called Delica D:2

As already reported, the new Suzuki Solio will be also available by Mitsubishi, with Suzuki supplying Mitsubishi with around 800 units per month. The Mitsubishi variant will be called Delica D:2 (デリカ Ｄ：2) and it is expected to be launched in spring 2011.

[Source: わたくしごと]

Mitsubishi to reveal Global Small Concept at Geneva

Following the official sketches of the upcoming global small car (earlier post), published by Mitsubishi, it has now been confirmed that the actual concept will be presented at the Geneva Motor Show. The production version is expected to be launched in March 2012, when the new plant in Thailand will start operating.

The engine is expected to have a displacement between 1.0 and 1.2 L, coupled to a CVT gearbox, and in combination with an energy recovery system and a stop/start system, it will be able to achieve an emission level of around 90 g/km.

It's still unknown whether the new small car will replace the Colt in Europe or not.

ADAC crash tests Mitsubishi i-MiEV

The first production EV, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, has been crash tested by ADAC in Germany. When performing such a test, passive safety is not the only concern, since EVs use high-current drives with a voltage of 200 to 400 volts, and thus the safety of the electrical systems is also important.

Although it didn't score perfect marks, there was some deformation in the footwell, there were no major problems noted. The i-MiEV went through 64 km/h frontal and rear impacts.

Mitsubishi to launch 8 new EVs and PHVs by 2015

Mitsubishi plans to launch 8 new EVs and Plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2015 (earlier post). This was revealed during the presentation of the mid-term business plan. Sales of a hybrid model will start in 2013.

Mitsubishi will stop making cars designed for specific regions including Europe and North America and concentrate management resources on world-strategy cars such as compact cars and SUVs, for which demand is expected to grow in emerging nations.

In terms of the global small car (earlier post), Mitsubishi forecasts that it will manage to increase sales in emerging markets by 280,000 units in 2013 (global sales target of 1.37 million units). According to a Japanese source, Mitsubishi has set a target, regarding the fuel efficiency of the new model, of 30.0 km/L. A concept previewing the new small car will revealed at the Geneva Motor Show.

[Source: Tech-On!]

Next Mitsubishi Colt not coming in Europe!

The new Colt is expected to be launched in March 2012 and it going to be built in Thailand. Targeted fuel efficiency is 27.0 km/L. What is surprising though is the fact that the successor of the Colt will not be sold in Europe!

Mitsubishi to bring diesel sports sedan to market in 2013

According to a Japanese publication, Mitsubishi will be bring a green diesel sports sedan to the market in 2013. The car, which looks like a facelifted Lancer (aka Galant), will be powered by a 2.2L turbocharged diesel engine. Maximum power output is expected to be 200 PS, while it will produce 40.0 kgm of torque. As you can imagine, it will come with Mitsubishi's 4WD system (S-AWC) and a dual clutch gearbox (SST). Hmm, could that be a Lancer Evolution successor...?

[Source: IMP-X's blog]

Best Car Super Scoop Special issue arrived!!!

The BC Super Scoop Special issue has just arrived from Japan, so stay tuned for a lot of news!!!

Mitsubishi launches Delica D:2 in Japan

As it has already been reported, Mitsubishi will sell the new Suzuki Solio as Delica D:2 in Japan, and today it was officially launched. Prices are starting from ¥ 1,393,000.

Mitsubishi Evo is dead...

The Evo is a legend and soon it will be history. According to Gayu Eusegi, head of global product development for Mitsubishi, the Lancer Evolution X will be the last Evo the Japanese automaker ever builds. Eusegi says the move is part of a shift in strategy to put the company's product focus and ethos on leadership in EV technology.

Despite the Evo's huge popularity, Mitsubishi apparently isn't scared of the step and says it's confident that consumers will glom on to the idea and rally behind the brand (... I am not so sure about that). According to a past report, Mitsubishi will be bring a green diesel sports sedan to the market in 2013.

Eusegi killed dead any notion that the brand would roll out a performance-oriented hybrid as well. "Maybe the world can change, and maybe someday we can do a motor race by electric vehicles. Maybe then we can enter the market again," he said.

[Source: Autoblog; Source of photo: Best Car]