Mitsubishi's i-MiEV hits 5000 mark

Mass production never starts as mass production. Mitsubishi's i-MiEV had been in production for 15 months when the company announced its 5000th unit rolled off its Mizushima commercial vehicle assembly line on Nov 23.

Of the 5000, about 3000 units of the world's first mass production EV have sold into the Japanese domestic market since production started in June 2009. Australia has taken delivery of 110, in an initial batch of 40 in August and a subsequent batch of seventy. Local spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher says demand has far outstripped supply.

"We've had hundreds and hundreds of enquiries and 300 firm offers," Fletcher told Carsales Network.

"And that's at early adopter prices [a $1740/month lease deal, which calculates out to a list price of about $63,000]."

Mitsubishi worldwide is doing everything in its power to bring it down ASAP, she said. "That's already happening to considerable effect in Japan and the UK. It helps that EVs attract all manner of subsidies and concessions overseas -- Australia's the only country not giving consumers any tax relief."

All i-MiEVs sold locally have gone to business buyers and to federal, state and local government fleets. Without exception, every one has gone out covered in the corporate livery of its buyer, no doubt delivering compound benefits on the taxation front,over and above its value as a promotional platform.

There's plenty of cause for optimism that prices will drop into the realosphere sooner rather than later, with pressure from Nissan via announcements about the affordability of its LEAF EV and with the economies of scale that go with its arrival in left-hand drive markets. The company expects a substantial hike in sales as of October 2010, when the car went into left-hand drive Euro-spec production.

It expects another boost in 2011 with the rollout of a US-spec i-MiEV production, after which it will shift production from the commercial vehicle assembly line to its higher-volume minicar plant nearby.