MMC to Sell 2,500 Electric Cars to Individuals in FY '10

It is receiving a growing number of inquiries from individuals about the world’s first commercially available electric vehicle to be launched for organizations late this month, the sources said. In fiscal 2009, which started in April, Mitsubishi Motors plans to sell 1,400 units of the i-MiEV to companies and government agencies. For sales to individuals, the company will give detailed explanations to customers because there are only a limited number of facilities with high-speed battery chargers in Japan and some fine-tuning work may be needed to recharge the car at home. It will explain about the electric car’s key functions, points for attention in handling it, and the differences between gasoline-powered and electric vehicles. In addition, the company plans to deploy 50 i-MiEVs at dealerships nationwide for test-drive events as part of publicity efforts to boost recognition of the electric vehicle. Although the i-MiEV is priced at 4,599,000 yen, each buyer’s cost falls to a little more than 3.2 million yen if state subsidies of 1.39 million yen are used. The subsidies for the current fiscal year, however, may be changed from the next fiscal year. (July 4, 2009)