Mitsubishi electric car back in stock

Sales of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car have been static since the company announced the vehicle was available to members of the general public.

Not one vehicle was sold in the first two months after the company announced that the price of the 2012 model was $48,800 – a substantial price cut compared with the previous arrangement, which was a three-year $63,000 lease requiring the car to be returned to Mitsubishi.

"We had an interruption to supply of i-MiEV as a result of the tsunami in March, but stock is starting to arrive and we are getting them out to dealers as quickly as possible," said Mitsubishi Australia spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher.

The first electric car on sale in Australia in the modern era notched up 112 sales last year – but none in the first seven months of this year.

But official figures show 11 of the new generation i-MiEVs were registered last month.

"You'll start to see them come through in the next month or so," Fletcher said.

The 2012 models come with extra safety features such as side and curtain airbags and stability control.

They will be sold outright to private buyers, and will not need to be returned. They will also come with Mitsubishi's full five-year warranty (10 years on powertrain).

Mitsubishi is also considering an extended warranty on the battery to allay concerns about the life of the lithium-ion powerpack, which Mitsubishi says will retain 80 per cent of its charge capacity after 10 years.


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