This really is fantastic news. I think Mitsubishi did everything right with this relaunch in terms of the product itself. Highlights for me were:
- Mitsubishi has lowered the price by enough to make the car truly competitive. I don't think the closeout pricing on the 2012s diminishes the viability of this new $23K price point, (especially considering that this is really a SE w/CHAdeMO - so the price cut relative to a 2012 is really more like $8k). During the clearance sale, nobody was sure if the car was orphaned, while this is now clearly a relaunched product. With the 2014 comfortably below even SmartED pricing (and for all the snark directed at our poor little "i", it's clearly more car than the ForTwo), and Nissan having no need to go there, the i-MiEV is likely to remain the lowest-priced EV for the rest of its run (though I'm guessing that will only be a couple more MYs - see below).
- Aside from perhaps the aluminum wheels, making the SE trim level standard costs Mitsu next to nothing, and adds to the perceived value of the car. Good move. I've noticed there's some confusion on this in the comments - this is definitely the SE interior, with the "SEE ALL STANDARD FEATURES" link (at the
official i-MiEV page) listing the interior as dark brown fabric with fabric door inserts. I think the "black-out door sash trim" refers to painting the portion of the door framing the window black (I notice this isn't shown on the web site pictures, but neither is the blue exterior). I am intrigued by the phrase "new daytime running lights." Why new? Are they different from the DRLs integrated with the fog lights in the 2012 (standard on SE, optional on ES)? Or are they just "new" in the sense of "new to the base trim level"? (but then, so are the fog lights).
- Making CHAdeMO standard is a big win, especially in California. Once again, they're delivering $700 worth of perceived value for a fraction of that in manufacturing cost, especially if it no longer needs to be managed as an option. For the hack-inclined, it's worth noting that the CHAdeMO package includes battery temperature management features for quick-charging that can be slightly altered to allow for cabin air to be directed to the battery pack during normal operation (I know, we thought we had that all along - the Mitsu boys are not the best communicators).
- I love that we get that Canadian
BLUE! It would have been a shame to have no "colorful" option for the exterior. Condolences to fans of Prowler Purple.
- Speaking of the Canadian model, I'm relieved to see that we picked up their 2013 model features (not all of which appeared in the initial draft 2014 model feature list). The switchable 8A/12A L1 EVSE is a big win, making L1-only charging feasible for many more potential buyers (14-hour full charges might be inconvenient, but 22-hour charges are just impractical). Perhaps just as important in day-to-day cold weather use, the heated passenger seat is a very big deal, allowing operation with reduced (or no) cabin heating even when the spouse is along.
With all that good news, one hates to point out a few minor sour notes, but:
- The heater appears to be the same sad energy hog it was before. I'm not sure why people are interpreting "electric compressor cabin heater" to mean a new heat pump system - that's exactly the same description used for the heater in the 2012 model. I still say fuel-based heaters are needed for EVs to maintain decent range and comfort in true cold, but I never expected we'd see such a big engineering effort for this near-done model, so I can't honestly claim this is a disappointment.
- I have mixed feelings about making the SE interior standard. There are many attractive additions (most notably the 360-watt 6-speaker audio), but as it turns out the brown and silver plastic that distinguishes the SE interior is really the same plastic used in the ES with thin color coatings added. Unfortunately, some SE owners have reported these coatings are already starting to flake and/or peel on the dash and door handles, so my aesthetic preference for "plastic-looking black plastic" has had the unexpected benefit of avoiding that problem.
- I'm not sure we can expect a marketing "push" per se. The i-MiEV's prospects are improved, but I'm sure it's still not a profitable proposition, especially at the new price. How much money do you want to spend advertising $20 bills for sale at $19? Unlike the LEAF, the i-MiEV's gotten enough dismal reviews to diminish its value as a "halo" car, and the few references that have leaked into mainstream media have not been flattering. All that said, as I observed during the 2012's pathetic stint in the showrooms, it's pretty hard for people to buy what you won't sell. So I hope Mitsubishi has learned that even if they don't aggressively promote the car, it's important that they at least let people know it exists, if only for a few seconds during "brand awareness" commercials (remember the "Unpretentious" campaign? What's more unpretentious than the i-MiEV?).
- Fond as we may be of our little weebles, it's pretty clear the i-MiEV isn't going to become the long-running VW Beetle of EVs, belonging more in the column of "first effort" than "timeless classic." While entirely new to the U.S., relatively new in EV garb, and vaguely futuristic in appearance (though people more likely think "Tata Nano" than "transport pod"), we have to remember that the i is near end of life as a kei car model, having first appeared in concept form a full decade ago. It's almost certain to be replaced by the new Mitsu-Nissan "world car" now in development. The companies have collaborated on kei cars for years, but they are now even more closely allied, and have committed to deliver a BEV version of this new mini-car using Mitsubishi motors and electronics with Nissan batteries. We can be fairly certain that's the low-end EV that Mitsu will be selling once it's available, perhaps as soon as the 2016 MY. Until then, the i-MiEV should do quite nicely filling the gap, but there's little reason for it to continue beyond that.
- At this new lower price point, the inequity of the federal tax credit becomes even more obvious. The credit can only be applied to taxes owed, so if your taxes are < $7500, you won't get the difference back as a cash credit. After applying deductions, most households pay less than $7500/year in federal income taxes, many considerably less. Compounding the problem is that the credit comes with next year's tax refund instead of at the time of purchase, so for people who can't afford a $7500 down payment, they wind up having to include the "credit" money in the financed amount. When we were talking about $40k Chevy Volts, this wasn't much of a concern, since middle-income households weren't buying such cars. But a $23k i-MiEV is a horse of a different color, and it's quite unfair that this affordable car is absolutely cheaper for higher-income households than for those of more modest means.
