After an extremely low sales for Mitsubishi Motors' 2014 i-MiEV, the motor company launched their 2016 model in the United States in March claiming it will be the ultimate eco-car. Mitsubishi stated their stand to provide automobiles that can support the company's efforts to help the environment towards achieving a better planet with its healthy natural resources.
According to Inside EVs, the 2014 model of Mitsubishi's i-MiEV only sold 195 units in the year 2014 and then the company decided not to ship any 2015 model nor register it to the Department of Energy. Nevertheless, it seems that the Japan-based auto manufacturer is determined to create an eco-car that will fulfill the company's environmental mission.
After reviewing the 2016 i-MiEV, critics concluded that the Mitsubishi EV model satisfied several aspects of being an eco-car. One aspect is that it only uses a minimal amount of oil and that would eventually lead to preserving more resources for the planet. It also has a lesser impact to global warming since it only produce a minimum amount of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, it produces clean and non-polluting emissions.
The review by TFL Car revealed that the Mitsubishi 2016 EV car can be driven purely using its electric power and it would result to zero emissions, which means that the whole drive would lead to zero carbon dioxide emission. The 2016 i-MiEV can save around 158.5 gallons of gas annually, which perfectly portrayed the model's corporate tagline, "Driving the earth; living with the earth."
In addition, the 2016 EV car also enhanced its standard equipment like heated side mirrors, remote keyless entry, and heated driver and front passenger seats. It even included a new navigation package that has a rear view camera, USB port, Bluetooth, 3D mapping, real-time traffic and a 7-inch touchscreen display.
This 2016 i-MiEV model can be purchased in the market for a base price of $22,995. However, the cost may go down or up depending on the city, country or tax credits as well as the additional car accessories that the buyer may be interested to buy in order to enhance the function of the EV.
Mitsubishi's i-MiEV entered the Japan market in 2008 with a limited number of sales. It was considered as the "first modern electric small car" to arrive in the market, according to Green Car Reports. Nevertheless, the larger Nissan Leaf had a huge success compared to the compact i-MiEV with 72,300 units sold.
With an affordable price and better equipment, the 2016 Mitsubishi i-MiEV is proving that it is ready to compete in the tough U.S. car market.