2010 Mitsubishi i-MiEV Launching In Australia In July, Limited To 40 Cars

Mitsubishi has scored the distinction of being the first manufacturer to import a production all-electric vehicle into Australia. It has announced today that it will launch 40 i-MiEV cars here in July and August.

The vehicles will be offered to customers under a lease agreement only, with the Federal Government expected to be among the company's customers.

“The i-MiEV has been attracting a lot of attention in Australia, and I am pleased to announce that we can now confirm additional vehicles will be arriving here in the next few months,” Mitsubishi's global president, Osamu Masuko said in a press conference here in Australia this week.

“This announcement will ensure that we will be number one in bringing the electric vehicle to Australia.”

Click to read TMR's review of the 2010 Mitsubishi i-MiEV.

The i-MiEV has been on sale in Japan since July 2009, while other evaluation trials are set to occur in the USA, UK, New Zealand and Europe.

Powered by a 47kW/180Nm electric motor and fed power by a 330-volt lithium-ion battery pack, the i-MiEV can travel up to 160km on a single charge.

With a top speed of 130km/h, its performance isn’t exactly anemic either.

Best of all, for the environmentally-conscious, the i-MIEV produces 70 percent less CO2 emissions than its petrol-powered peers.

Mitsubishi initially built just 2000 i-MiEV cars in 2009, growing by another 5000 this year. By 2015, Mitsubishi expects to be producing 30,000 units each year.