Mitsubishi to Sell an Electric Car in U.S., Someday

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV.

You could call it a soft introduction. During a press conference at the auto show Thursday morning, Mitsubishi’s president and chief executive, Shin Kurihara, stood in front of a car covered by the usual auto show drape but talked about the small fully exposed car beside it instead — Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV electric car, in white.

Mr. Kurihara said it was a “real four-passenger car” that would go on sale this summer in Japan. The first car, he said, would roll off the assembly line in July.

The particular car on the stand was left-hand drive, he noted, which has “special meaning.” The i-MiEV is running in test fleets in the United States, where, Mr. Kurihara announced, it will eventually go on sale, though he gave no timetable.

So what is this i-MiEV of which I speak? It is a tiny car with very little wheel overhang. It has been proved to get 75 to 100 miles in a single charge, Mr. Kurihara said. And it takes 14 hours to fully charge through a 110-volt electrical outlet. It takes half that time with a 220-volt outlet, and Mitsubishi is developing a quick charge feature.