[Auto] Yes now! The Mitsubishi i-MiEV says goodbye to the market forever

[#Steeven.™]

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV was one of the first electric vehicles to hit the mass market. The courage of the Japanese firm was great, as the technology was not yet at the optimum point of maturity. However, they decided to take that risk and be one of the first to offer this possibility to their clients. In fact, his advancement served him to sign an agreement with the PSA Group and thus launch his brothers i-On and C-Zero.

However, his business life has not been short or easy. On the contrary, since from minute zero he had to face various complications. One of the most recurring had to do with its limited range and power from the electric powertrain. However, it was an unfair complaint, as the market did not capture the kei car essence of the i-MiEV. Now, after a slow withdrawal from the market, it seems that those responsible have decided to retire it forever.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV has been on the market since 2009

According to several sources, including the Nikkei Asia newspaper, the house of the three diamonds has decided to withdraw the i-MiEV from the few countries where it was still present. Eleven years of commercial life have not served to achieve a significant or expected sales volume. In fact, the statistics suggest that the number of units sold around the world has remained very little above 30 thousand units.

However, there were several compelling reasons to keep it still active. First of all, so that its average CO2 emissions in Europe would be as low as possible. Second, because the Mizushima (Japan) factory had to maintain its workload. Finally, that the coffers of Mitsubishi were empty and there was no possibility of updating it or developing a generational replacement from scratch to match.

But these situations no longer prevent Mitsubishi from pursuing its electric offensive. It is now under the umbrella of the Renault-Nissan Alliance and they have extensive experience in developing electric vehicles. In fact, there are already those who point out that in 2023 we could meet the i-MiEV replacement with a sister model at Nissan. It remains to be seen if this model arrives and how it does it, although we will not see it in Europe.

Goodbye Mitsubishi i-MiEV! Those of us who knew how to value your courage and originality will miss you.