Mitsubishi to produce all-electric i MiEV, Concept CX

Mitsubishi didn't have the most extravagant press conference of the New York Auto Show, but the Japanese automaker did reveal some interesting tidbits about the possibility of an all-electric vehicle for the U.S. and the production future of its Concept CX.

Mitsubishi's recently launched i has won several design awards in Japan and is a very effective vehicle for economical transportation. It has a center-mounted fuel efficient gasoline engine -- which makes for a spacious interior -- but Mitsubishi will soon make the i even more environmentally friendly.

Next year, Mitsubishi will begin selling an all-electric version of the i in Japan, dubbed the i MiEV -- for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle. The i MiEV will use a lithium-ion battery pack to power its electric motor, but Mitsubishi failed to mention how far the i MiEV will be able to travel on a single charge. The i MiEV will take eight hours to fully charge when plugged into a typical outlet, but a quick charge station will be able to fully charge the car's battery in just thirty minutes.

Mitsubishi says it has no official plans to sell the i MiEV in markets outside of Japan, but it will begin testing a version of the car in the U.S. this fall -- indicating that other markets are not out of the question.

Mitsubishi also had its i MiEV Sport concept on hand, but still has no plans to produce the sportier EV.

But the U.S. won't be completely left out of Mitsubishi's new vehicle plans. The automaker announced that its Concept CX will make production as an entry-level crossover. The concept is powered by a clean diesel -- the same as found in the Concept RA -- but Mitsubishi didn't give any indication as to which powerplants will be available in the road-going car. No word on when the production version of the Concept CX will begin rolling off the assembly line.



i MiEV