Mitsubishi i-MiEV teased, commercial sales soon?

mitsubishi-i-miev-teaser-1

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has put up some teasers on its Facebook page, hinting at the imminent arrival of a “100% electric vehicle” that has an overall length of under 3.48 metres, a wheelbase of 2.55 metres and costs “RM0.05 per km” to run. The numbers, plus the fact that a little bit of the car is shown here, suggest that the vehicle in question is the i-MiEV.

In 2011, the zero-emissions car became the first EV to be registered in Malaysia, serving to promote EV awareness in the country. Last November, MMM officially announced that it would start commercial sales of the i-MiEV, so this could be it.

Standing for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle, the i-MiEV packs 49 kW and 180 Nm of torque, and tops out at 130 km/h. An operating range of up to 160 km is possible after an eight-hour charge from a regular 240V home socket. Read our test drive report here, or digest more technical information here.

For a glimpse into the future however, check out the Mitsubishi CA-MiEV concept that recently made its debut in Geneva.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

Certified Pre-Owned - 1 Year Warranty

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Jonathan James Tan

While most dream of the future, Jonathan Tan dreams of the past, although he's never been there. Fantasises much too often about cruising down Treacher Road (Jalan Sultan Ismail) in a Triumph Stag that actually works, and hopes this stint here will snap him back to present reality.

 

Comments

  • RVP20 on Mar 18, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    Pls…..plsssssss dun sell it more than 100k here :(

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 0
    • Sadly, only the rich will be able to afford this “toy” car just because you’ll need another car to do long distance travelling.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 1
      • All4TorqueProDSG on Mar 18, 2013 at 4:21 pm

        This is a great idea but with all great ideas, it needs government support to make it a reality. Only in Malaysia, we need permits to do anything. And that is in a seas of red tape. Even if Mitsubishi wanted to set up charging stations in various locations, the sea of red tape and corruption will be too much too handle.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 7
  • b sensible on Mar 18, 2013 at 1:58 pm

    what about the plug-in station? can’t find any in malaysia. the option is for operators to install plug-in stations & give tax exemption on them. otherwise drivers hv to plug-in at their home.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
    • KlccGuard on Mar 18, 2013 at 3:44 pm

      There is one plug-in station inside KLCC’s basement carpark near one of the parking machine’s lobby.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • kadajawi on Mar 18, 2013 at 2:33 pm

    May also plug in at the office etc…, but yes, will be hard for early adopters. This only makes sense for those who can _easily_ comute to work and back with one charge, even if there is a traffic jam or a detour.

    Somehow I find the Tesla Model S a bit more interesting though…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • The Tesla Model S is leaps and bound in electric car evolutionary terms than this I-MIEV, which is much closer to the genesis of EV, being an unattreactive, expensive and small driving range. The model s is quite the inveres by being gorgeous, similar price tag for a petrol car of its siza and with a range of 160+ miles for the base varient, rather large range.

      Interesting thing is that the Tesla is sold in Singapore, so there’s a opportunity that it can expend I peninsula Malaysia, I mean there will be a demand that customer in Singapore will want to drive their cars to Malaysia, and extending supercharging station over here will satisfy their need. And considering that Malaysia has all this EEV programme whatsoever, a base model S should be cheaper than a CBU BMW 530i (RM 530k) and is already cheaper than the BMW in the states (base tesla US$45k+ vs 530i US$53k).

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
      • Tesla cars in the US is subsidized by it’s government. Better check Singapore’s price for an actual value.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
        • Sigh….looks like I’ve been giving old news. Tesla withdraw from Singapore early last year, the nearest Tesla official distributor is now in Hong Kong. Tesla Asia Pacific Director, Kevin Yu, said they did not received ‘enthusiastic support’ from Government and the public. Places with ‘Enthusiastic support’includes Japan, which is grants 2.61million yen in cash rebate for each Tesla buyer; Hong Kong and…Joy of Joys….Malaysia!, where electric vehicle are ‘tax exampt’. But with not a single charging station in Malaysia I really wonder are we really giving ‘enthusiastic support’. Oh and btw, the Tesla Model S will begin it’s first foreign sales is in Europe late spring of this year, while RHD market (UK, Hong Kong and Japan) will receive their Model S late 2013, though booking is available now.

          I hope some big distributor will bring in some Tesla like how BMW Malaysia brings in Rolls Royce. The Government should also be doing something if they are hyping to make Malaysia a hub for EEV, but with so much empty promises so far or twisted promises(Jazz hybrid?), it will be a miracle if some form of action is taken.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
          • There are already few charging station at Putrajaya & Cyberjaya. The latest addition is at KLCC. Many more soon. Already few players indicated interest to operate this charging business.. :-)

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
          • Forgot to mention that there are also another 3 units of charging station at Uniten.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • This is great, but I’ve cant get over the feeling that it will be madly expensive considering in the uk ,after wil the tax sliced of EV it is still £24k odd which is rediculous for a car of this size and spec, that’s the same price as a Golf gti or Focus ST. Add to that we do not have any charging station even inside the city, the batteries will be working double time to keep us from fainting in the heat. This will be better suited for outskirts cities with little traffic (Taiping, Melacca or bentong). range anxiety will sure be problematic in big cities like Pinang or kl, and unless there’s something up on the guv or MMM sleeves, this really would not sell.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
  • Sam Loo on Mar 18, 2013 at 5:23 pm

    No matter how fast Mitsubishi is bringing in any EV vehicles, their development is not as mature as what we found on Toyota RAV4 EV. So let’s see how are those guinea pigs react after owning Mitsu. It’s just a matter of time for Toyota to come in, and sooner will dominate the EV market.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 7
  • Jab, Strong, Fierce! on Mar 18, 2013 at 9:06 pm

    Judging from the specifications, it seems the Nissan Leaf is a no brainer purchase. 80 vs 49kW, 280 vs 180 Nm torque, and tops out at >140 vs 130 km/h with more space to boot. Fingers crossed that the i-MiEV doesn’t cost as much as a Smart Fortwo back in the hay days

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
 

Add a comment

required

required