Pricing for the all-electric i-MiEV has been announced- set at an eye-watering £38,699 including VAT.
Mitsubishi has set a price for its innovative electric car so that customers ordering from January 1st 2011 can apply for the £5,000 off through the Government’s Plug-in Car Grants set to be introduced in the New Year.
The car should be eligible for the full £5,000 grant, yet the car will still cost just under £34,000. Although that is a lot to pay out for, the carmakers says the reduced running costs will help the first buyers claw back some of their initial outlay.
For example, the Japanese carmaker estimates that driving 12,000 miles in your new i-MiEV will set you back just £115 (based on a 96 pence worth of electricity for each full charge). Additionally, the carmaker argues that the simple build of an electric car will keep servicing costs low and cut downtime – as there are only approximately 4 working parts compared to over 300 in a typical internal combustion engine. Exempt from road tax, zero benefit-in-kind company car tax, lower rate of VAT for domestic electricity, exempt from congestion charge (saving up to £2,000 per annum), free parking in many London boroughs and cities and expected high residual values will all help consumers save on running costs, the firm says.
Announcing the pricing, Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi Motors UK’s Managing Director, said:“These are exciting times for the motor industry in the UK. This is the biggest change in the automotive industry since it began some one hundred years ago, so to be able to offer our zero emissions car for this price is a truly great achievement.”
However even Mitsubishi UK’s Managing Director had to confess that the price of the i-MiEV was likely to prove a deterrent to most car buyers, adding: “We are aware that, by their very nature, any new technologies always command a premium, which has been true for anything from plasma televisions to cars. Others make price claims and estimations, but we have a real vehicle that is available now and is proven in the real world,” he said.
Mitsubishi’s newly opened Electric Vehicle Centre in Central London has already taken its first orders for the i-MiEV set for delivery in January, and enquiry levels have soared following the Government’s consumer incentive announcement on 25th February.
The Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle Centre has been operational for customer enquiries and demonstrations since mid-February and customers can contact the Centre on 0207 546 8331 or via email at imiev@mitsubishi-cars.co.uk.
The i-MiEV has a top speed of 81mph, a range of 80 miles on a full charge and can be charged from flat-to-full in 6-hours or flat-to-80 per cent capacity in 30 minutes using a fast charger.
- Read our road test of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV here.
