A Mitsubishi dealership is celebrating achieving EV Sales centre status by being the first to hand over the keys to an i-MiEV electric car model to a customer in London.
Motor Wey Putney became a recognised EV Sales Centre on January 10, 2011 and is now one of 13 flagship authorised Mitsubishi EV Sales Centres across the UK.
The dealership’s personnel completed an extensive i-MiEV training programme to gain accreditation. The training will enable staff to have a very clear understanding of what owning an EV is like and how the marketplace for EVs is hotting up.
Demonstrator vehicles are already available at the EV Sales Centre for prospects to evaluate and experience what it is like to live with an electric vehicle in real-life conditions.
A handful of customers that have already purchased i-MiEV will join both dealership and Mitsubishi Head Office staff for a brief presentation, refreshments and the first official vehicle hand-over at midday on Friday 28th January.
The Colt Mid West Group’s Managing Director, Paul Brigden, said: "The official launch of Motor Wey Putney as a Mitsubishi EV Sales Centre on 28th January marks an extremely important event in the company’s history. We are proud to be involved with a programme that demonstrates so well Mitsubishi’s core values of innovation and cutting edge technology. The i-MiEV is a fantastic halo for the brand and underlines our bold environmental strategy under the banner of “Intelligent Motion.” We are delighted to be part of the EV programme and to hand-over the first mass-produced fully-electric vehicles to London based customers. Our fully trained personnel will be available throughout the event and ongoing to offer the best advice and service levels to both retail and fleet customers.”
The fully electrically-operated car 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. The battery-powered will be one of the first cars eligible for the UK’s Plug-in Car Grants, when they become available in January 2011. These £5,000 incentives towards the cost of a new electric vehicle will reduce the i-MiEV’s price tag from £28,990 to £23,990.
