Look out Mitsu, here comes a leaner LEAF!

Along with US production to lower costs, the 2013 LEAF may include a stripper model...
http://insideevs.com/nissan-to-add-cheaper-leaf-in-2013/

Average drivers will go for a LEAF before an i, so if the price differential goes away, the i will be hard pressed to maintain even the 'one sale per day' rate it has settled into..

Perhaps instead of a LEAF, a stripper should be the Nissan Conifer or the Nissan Evergreen? If they offer a long range version, it's gotta be the Nissan LongLEAF....

Anyway, Mitsu better get their rears in gear to keep the i from going down as a false start in the US...

I would hope that Mitsu has been working on its own 2013 model. I can't see them going higher end so they've got to be thinking lower price too. The question is, how low can they go?

tonymil said:

I would hope that Mitsu has been working on its own 2013 model. I can't see them going higher end so they've got to be thinking lower price too. The question is, how low can they go?

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I hope you're right, and that they haven't taken to heart criticisms that the i-MiEV is just "too bare bones" for American tastes. The SCiB batteries could be a huge win, especially if Nissan's sticking to their in-house heat-vulnerable guns, but otherwise it'd be nice if Mitsu could leave the i alone. I remember with much sadness what Scion did to the xB.

While I hope there will be more and "better" choices soon, I bought now because the i was just right as is, and I'm afraid we may not see another $23k EV with as much to offer any time soon. The only EV threatening to beat that price right now is the Smart ED, but even aside from the Viagra jokes, I use my trunk a lot and even the back seat has carried passengers in the few weeks that I've had my i. Losing those is too much loss of function (ahem).

We'll see where Nissan winds up on price, but the Leaf still has battery chemistry issues, thermal management issues, guess-o-meter issues, etc. I've driven both cars, and definitely find the uber-efficient small footprint torquey transport pod experience of the i much more fun. I hope Mitsu gives it a little more visibility this fall.

Don't forget about the Smart Electric Drive 3 -- it is about $25,000 before any incentives. While it has just 2 seats, it is even better as a city car than the i MiEV.

NeilBlanchard said:

Don't forget about the Smart Electric Drive 3 -- it is about $25,000 before any incentives. While it has just 2 seats, it is even better as a city car than the i MiEV.

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Didn't forget about it at all, as noted in my post. Again, no back seat, no trunk, no advantage I can think of unless you really need to park in non-car-sized spaces (i.e., you really want/need the Smart's unique form factor, and even then, only in terms of length, since the i's about the same width). Or hey - maybe you really want a convertible!

I'm not saying such buyers don't exist, just that I'm not one of them; I want a fairly conventional car, not a motor scooter alternative. If I were shopping now, I might consider the Smart if the i were to be "moved upmarket," but not if models/prices/features remain as they are now. On the positive side, I think arrival of the Smart ED does reduce the urgency of a purchase decision for bargain-minded EV shoppers, in that we're likely to have this low-cost alternative around for a while, regardless of what Mitsu decides.