No iMIEV this year for iMiEVNZ7 sigh...

We test drove and went to order a 2011 imiev that had been sitting on the yard for a long time, the car was great and we wanted to buy it but not until we were sure of charging infrastructure was available.

Mitsubishi NZ were not interested in putting in any fast chargers anywhere as sales were too slow for the cars to make it worthwhile.

So we put off buying a imiev and brought a Prius instead, and waited for the fast chargers to become more affordable.

This year the price of the chargers has dropped by heaps and we can now get one for $ 17, 000 for a 20 Kw one and so my boss approved the purchase of the car. Yay ! The home charger is fine, but if we want to later rent the iMiEV's out we really need a fast charger on the main tourist routes set up and it looks like only we are willing to fund them.

Went and got the car finance preapproved and read the terms and conditions carefully, made some notations and alterations and sent it back.

The Finance part of the dealership said all good, only need us to come in and sign up and send off the forms to get formally approved as pre approved already subject to some conditions.

Took time off work for me and the boss to go and sign up, but found the terms and conditions had not been altered as requested. Essentially the three main points were a limit on the solicitors' fees the finance company Finance Mitsubishi, could charge, and a limit on who could be sent our personal information and who got paid out if the car was stolen or damaged.

I got the dealer Finance chap to restore the terms as requested and he sent them off, only to have them refused by the head office, I rang them up and asked why and was told the terms are pretty well set and that is that.


So I very reluctantly cancelled the order. I am upset but nothing I can do about it this year, may look at a house loan instead and finance it that way.

I note that only 3 iMiEV's have been sold in NZ, and I wonder if others have found the terms and conditions too daunting ?.

So we have ordered another Prius instead, as Toyota have in the past allowed us to alter the terms and conditions to suit us.

May need to simply finance the iMiEV car via a house loan, and so avoid all the terms and conditions.

The iMiEV has been sitting on the yard so long, the warranty for the car now runs out in July 2014 ! The battery warranty is still ok though.


Seeing there is no warranty, we could simply get one from Aussie instead if the price is good, currently allowing for shipping and GST etc, the NZ ones are still cheaper on www.trademe.co.nz

But Next year is full of oppertunities and we are sure we will get one soon. That or save up for a Tesla, which the boss drove in HK and said was a rocketship !

What a hassle! But, I hope you get one soon. Still loving my i-MiEV a lot!

Shouldn't be a problem getting one from Aus, your government recognises our vehicle approvals standards, and incidentally it recognises Japan's also.
We share the same power supply standard as well so compatibility should not be an issue.

Only thing is I doubt warranty would cross the Tasman with the car....

Hi Carnut,
Yep the cars could come over here ok, problem is warranty, most of the ones in NZ and online in Aus are 2011 ones so no warranty left as such on the car itself, the one we were going to buy was finishing in July 2014. The battery warranty still applies though and I guess if needed, it would be worthwhile to ship the pack to Aussie for repair .

I am thinking though it may be easier, though not cheaper, to simply buy a Tesla when they become available. No problems of range even when on a trip, and the car has plenty of room.

That said, I think we could buy three iMiEvs for the price of one Tesla. ! .

Plus I still like the iMiEV. I think I will save up the fuel savings of the V8, less what we spend on the Prius repayments, and fuel, and put any extra towards making a cash offer to the iMiEV if we see one for sale privately in NZ.

I do know though, If I was MMNZ, I would do three things:

1. advertise the car more and with a sensible price, even if it was a loss leader for a year.

2. Instal fast chargers at malls and carparking buildings, pricing the recharge at $ 7, this would make a profit over time.

3. make finance less complicated along the lines of we lend you this amount, you agree to pay it back, with none of the other rubbish they add in to the current agreements. maybe they could make it a lease to buy thing it that made it easier.

Mine is a 2010 build 2011 first reg.
My warranty is the balance of the five years which transfers to the New owner so I have three years of warranty left.
The extra warranty on batteries applies only to the origami owner, everything reverts to five years 100,000km if it changes hands.

That said, mine was under $20k on road and my neighbour just got a 2012 with 11,000 on the clock delivered from Sydney to Hobart for about $21k...they aren't as dear as they were!