Mitsubishi "i" undercuts Leaf by $5K

[Richard230]

My newspaper reports that the Mitsubishi EV "i" (I wish they had a catchier name for that car) will be sold in the US at $5000 less that the price of a Leaf, "in a bid to win a share of the emerging rechargeable auto market in the US".

The 2012 Mitsubishi "i" will have a base price of $27,990, according to Yoichi Yokozawa, Mitsubishi's CEO, in an announcement made at the NY International Auto Show. After the US government tax credit, consumers will be able to purchase the car for $20,490, making it the most affordable EV in the US, he said. Mr. Yokozawa went on to say, "The initial goal is to deliver about 2,000 units, and later we'd like to go to 20,000 or 30,000 (cars) a year".

The article says that Nissan's goal is to eventually sell 500,000 EVs a year globally.

U.S. customers can pre-order the LI-ion battery-powered "i" beginning Friday. The car should travel about 85 miles per charge, depending on driving conditions, according to Yokozawa.

[protomech]

Suspect they are selling these at a hefty loss - production run of 2000 isn't due to limited production capacity, but to minimize losses. Get them in the hands of folk and figure out what consumers do / don't like.

85 miles and 16 kwh is incredibly optimistic - that's 25-35 mph operation only. Still, as a short range commuter and very limited highway commuter it should be fine - but I wouldn't want to use it for commutes longer than I'd use an Enertia 3.1.

[Richard230]

Especially when the weather is cold and you are using the heater to keep warm. Back east, during the winter, you had better live really close to work.