We have already reviewed the Mitsubishi i-MiEV before and the Japanese car maker has revealed their new all-electric Mitsubishi i made for the American market. While it looks seriously like the i-MiEV, the company is quick to deny that they are the same. This would be one of the eco-friendly model to come from Mitsubishi as they cement their status further in this segment.
According to Mitsubishi, the new i is a 100% battery-powered model for the US market and it is slightly bigger than the i-MiEV which many feel are the same. They have also given more space inside the car for the people with ‘larger frame’. Maurice Durand, the Manager of Product Communications for Mitsubishi Motors North America, they expect the American drivers to be larger in size as compared to their counterparts in Asia.
The electric i will start selling there next fall and is expected to be priced around USD30,000. The company also added that come fiscal year 2015, they are only targeting to roll out about 20,000 units then. This is widely because of the fact that they are not going to position the i as a replacement model to any of their petrol siblings and that they are only intending for it to be sold for those who are commuting to and from work and might not be suitable for longer trips.
Durand added that furthermore, they are not looking for the new i to be the de facto model for the company but instead will use it to get into the market segment and to springbed them to future launches. If it is anything to go by, the PX-MiEV might be the better bet. Accordingly, the software in this model will be tuned and tweaked to the US market while the body and its works are pretty much the same among the Japanese, European and American models respectively. When it starts selling, customers could also choose to buy the Eaton-made 220V charging station which takes about 8 hours to get to full charge. In terms of safety, they have also included into this model as standard the ASC (Active Stability Control), the TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) as well as airbags around for the passengers.
