i MiEV on iTunes in HD
Whilst some of us were hobnobbing about L.A. and driving a Tesla Roadster, others of us at ABG had to content ourselves with watching the Mitsubishi i MiEV drive around of New York city via a free download from iTunes. The fact that it was available in high definition (HD), as well as standard definition (SD), helped soothe the soul slightly. Of course it's not the same as actually driving the car in NYC, which we've also done, but the having the camera in a chase car helps give this film more of that 3rd person point of view. If you're one of the tens of millions of folks who has iTunes on your computer, click here. If you're not, click here and download it so you can watch. Thanks to Yanqetino for the tip!
Gallery: i-MiEV in HD
Gallery: Mitsubishi i MiEV - LIVE
[Source: Mitsubishi via iTunes]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave 1:54PM (5/12/2008)
Mitsu is nuts for not marketing and producing this car for the NA market. It'd be a smash with current gas prices. Certainly they have the competition by at least 2 years also. HELLO.
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Charles S 2:22PM (5/12/2008)
Sorry, but the idea that US loves small cars is way overblown. I just looked up the statistics for 2007; 53% of all vehicles sold in US are still in the light trucks category.
Yaris (which is comparable vehicle to the MiEV) sales have gone up 20% from 2006-2007. That 20% equates to about 14,000 vehicles. That is a horrible number in the automotive world.
Worse, the MiEV would cost way more than a Yaris, and like all the hybrid bashing in the past, it will be the same all over again; people counting every nickels and dimes and place no value to all the technological advances.
I have never paid more than $20k for a car in my life, but I certainly would pay more for an EV. But for all the PR and promises, I see very little chance EVs like this making it here in US. Certainly not at $4/gal, and not even at $5/gal.
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Rick 7:39PM (5/12/2008)
The yaris is an ugly sedan, crappy materials, crappy brakes, no options, or it's a smaller 3 door. Look at Mini's numbers for a better idea of small car sales. If it's small AND cool it will sell. If gas keeps going up, and this car comes here costing zero dollars to fill, it goes to the crowd for ALL small cars, not just one model from one manufacturer. It's a much larger market and saying small cars won't sell is way overblown as well.
You can give away ANY truck right now, so those nubmers don't apply any longer.
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Yanquetino 4:25PM (5/12/2008)
I hope you're crystal ball is foggy, Charles S. The more I see of this iMiEV, the more I love the it. I would buy one right now if Mitsubishi would simply put it in the showrooms.
Those of you who, like me, would also like to see this car in our driveways, please be sure to sign the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/iMiEV/petition.html
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Throwback 4:39PM (5/12/2008)
Charles you are spot on. In America we(not me per se) like space, in our homes and in our cars. That is why I think diesels will do well here, especially if gas continues to rise. Diesels can give us much better mileage and maintain our current desire for large vehicles. I do think however that an EV that seats 4, has a range of 250+ miles, and does not cost more than 35K would sell at Prius levels.
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Dave 10:28AM (5/13/2008)
Throwback, I'll trade you my '05 diesel passat tdi in a heartbeat for a MiEV plus $10K. Diesel is a rip right now and I'd be happy to wedge my 6'1 body into that compact car.
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kert 5:07PM (5/12/2008)
I will be glad if Mitsu does not waste time on marketing in NA, we europeans want this car and we will probably buy each and every one they make :)
More than enough space inside, good performance for a car of such a class ( meaning nippy around town ) and plenty of range for 95% of driving needs. Price is acceptable, especially if you count total cost of ownership over a lease period.
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Throwback 5:16PM (5/12/2008)
kert I thought they where going to sell this in England. I know the gas "I" sold out rather quickly there.
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mike 5:52PM (5/12/2008)
That's what I'm afraid of Europe will get it first, possibly for Years before we in the US see this car. Heck, we still haven't gotten something as simple as the BMW One( diesel ).
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mike 5:53PM (5/12/2008)
I'd also like to see a more AERO version, for better highway mpg, err, mpkw.
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Charles S 7:13PM (5/12/2008)
Personally, I don't want to say too much about what Americans want in cars.
All I really wanted to point out is that right now, even near $4/gal, US market has not change all that much. Any downward trend in truck sales reflects more on consumer confidence and fear of an economical downturn. Truth is, overall vehicles sales are down, for both cars and trucks.
We will continue to get the Yaris/Fit/Prius type of vehicles in the US, but high-priced compact cars like MiEV will not likely make it here.
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itsaboutchoice 7:59AM (5/13/2008)
"Truth is, overall vehicles sales are down, for both cars and trucks. "
I may be contributing to that trend by not buying a new car until it's a plug-in electric. I'm really interested in the Volt or the I-MiEV.
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Peekoyle 9:51AM (5/13/2008)
The iMIEV has the ultimate selling point:
It requires NO GAS!
Its a fact that since the beginning of the oil spike that ppl in the U.S now do take into account the economy of the vehicle.
This was not the case a few yrs ago when oil cost about half of what it does now.
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