Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV

While other automakers focus on hybrids, Mitsubishi runs the green-car race with a pure-electric minicar. Pokemon cute and sized for the urban jungle, the i-MiEV could recharge this ailing brand's U.S. sales and image.

What We Know About the 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV

It's official: The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is coming to America. And what is an i-MiEV, you ask? It's a battery-powered version of the Japanese automaker's home-market "i" minicar, which has been around since 2006 but hasn't been sold in the U.S. before.

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So why should you care about the i-MiEV? Because the "Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle" should be an appealing new choice for harried urbanites with an environmental conscience. And depending on when it gets here, it could be the first zero-emissions vehicle available for retail sale. Even if it isn't, the i-MiEV looks like a sure-fire kickstart for Mitsubishi's ailing U.S. sales and image.

Mitsubishi confirmed a U.S.-market i-MiEV at the 2009 New York Auto Show, where it also displayed a concept model that differs in some respects from the version that starts sale in Japan later during 2009 and reaches Europe by late 2010 (via French automaker PSA/Peugeot-Citroen). A source at Mitsubishi's U.S. headquarters tells Consumer Guide Auto that the American version will start shipping sometime in calendar 2011.

Why the longish wait? The i-MiEV marks Mitsubishi's first large-scale experience with advanced lithium-ion propulsion batteries, and production is being ramped-up slowly so engineers can address any problems that may arise. As things stand now, Mitsubishi plans to produce 2,000 i-MiEVs in 2009 (starting in July) and 5,000 in 2010. Interestingly, the 2011 count was recently bumped from 10,000 to 15,000 due to high overseas interest in the car, according to Mitsubishi. The company plans to be building 30,000 a year by 2013.

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