Anyone thinking of purchasing the new/improved 2014's?

[NeilBlanchard]

Going by the increase in battery pack capacity alone, the range of the CA-MiEV would be ~110 miles, so if they can cut the consumption, then ~180 miles is doable. Keep in mind the new revised Illuminati Motor Works '7' can go 220+ miles on it's 33kWh pack - this is traveling at 60-70MPH - and they had ~10% charge left! 'Seven' weighs just over 2,900 pounds and seats four, goes 0-60MPH in ~6.2s and has a Cd <0.23 - probably about 0.20-0.21. They have a plug-to-wheel efficiency of about 92% and it consumes only ~129Wh/mil at ~60MPH.

If the CA-MiEV can get a Cd of 0.25-0.27, then the range could be 150-175 miles.

 

[Vike]

Mitsu needs all our help - It's rumored they won't be selling cars at all in North America come 2015, so anyone wanting an iMiEV better not wait too long!

Mitsu needs to help themselves. I'd normally dismiss this sort of Mitsu-bashing (on 24/7 Wall Street's part, not yours Don), but if Mitsu does intend to stay in the U.S., the decision to delay the launch of the Outlander PHEV here verges on the insane. Why not throttle down Euro sales a bit and get some of these Volt-killers to the U.S. to save the brand? That's seemed so obvious to me for so long that their failure to do this does make me nervous about their intentions. Face it - the ever-growing delays with the NA launch of the O-PHEV only make sense if Mitsu's given up on the U.S. altogether. The resounding thud with which the "new" subcompact Mirage has hit the market certainly hasn't helped.

Given that, it would be hard enough for me to buy the new i-MiEV if mine were to be totaled this year. But the deal-breaker for me is the division of opinion in our household - while she's not vociferous about it, my wife just never warmed to the car, much as I enjoy banging around in it. It's pretty clear to me now that she would have been much happier in a LEAF, so that's probably what I'd go with next time.

I still love my i-MiEV - it really is fun in ways that the LEAF is not. So basically I'm hoping nothing untoward befalls my little Weeble before its time.

 

[JoeS]

Vike, I agree with you and have to wonder if lawyers haven't spooked Mitsubishi s.t. they want to make sure O-PHEV is fully debugged before introducing it in this country. Dang, they missed being first to market and gave the early-adopter surge away to Nissan, and now they're about to do it again with their unique Outlander.

My wife really appreciates the small size and maneuverability of the i-MiEV (over the Leaf) for her everyday urban driving - she loves our Mitsi :!: Some of the new shopping center parking lots are really crunching the parking spaces - again, watched a very frustrated and somewhat inept person attempting to jockey a Tesla the other day.

 

[Vike]

The Toshiba cells are supposed to be (among) the most robust available. And they may be higher energy density, too? If Mitsubishi goes in the direction of the CA-MiEV, then we should be good!

That's a big negatory on both counts.

The great virtue of SCiBs is their ability to withstand the hit of frequent quick-charging, and likely greater overall longevity. But this is at the expense of energy density, which is less than that of the the GS Yuasa/LEJ batteries that are our only option in the U.S. In Japan (where SCiB has been an i-MiEV option for a while now), SCiBs can be more attractive to buyers whose travel patterns align well with that country's relatively extensive CHAdeMO charging network, since reduced range would be more than compensated for by the ability to safely QC 2-3 times in a day. In the U.S., where CHAdeMO chargers are few and far between, and "range anxiety" a significant marketing bugaboo, SCiBs were deemed a poor fit, so they're not offered.

As for the CA-MiEV (which does seem to keep cropping up in various speculations around here), that was a concept car, period. The next generation compact EV coming from Mitsu will be the product of their "world car" joint development project with Nissan, one version of which will be a BEV. It will be a new car, not a larger version of the i-MiEV, and will likely bear no resemblance to the fantasies of Mitsubishi vehicle designers from years earlier.

 

[Vike]

So, Mitsu is actually considering increasing the size of the MiEV. I wonder if that would mean other design changes such as to reduce drag.

http://insideevs.com/mitsubishi-pre...les-next-gen-i-miev-will-likely-grow-in-size/

The source interview:
http://www.autonews.com/article/20131216/OEM02/312169989/mitsubishi-chief-automakers-growth-starts-now#axzz2ojHnP6T2

I think tonymil (and InsideEVs for that matter) might be misinterpreting Masuko's comments, though admittedly the sequence of questions and answers does muddy the waters a bit. As I read it, Masuko's basically saying that Nissan-Mitsu's jointly developed BEV will be a minicar, and I guess that would effectively be the i-MiEV replacement. He then separately observes that they might also want to have a somewhat larger BEV (presumably with the U.S. market in mind), but there's no reason to assume this would be called an i-MiEV or have a similar configuration, so I don't think this amounts to "increasing the size of the MiEV".

This is a very interesting interview (follow the autonews.com link for the full conversation), and I find it rather reassuring in terms of Mitsubishi's plans for a continued presence in the U.S. It's clear that Masuko considers the U.S. an essential market, and one from which he has no intention of withdrawing. The interview does suggest that Mitsu will be focusing more on truck and SUV/CUV models going forward, with electrification a key strategy for addressing rising CAFE requirements (more evidence that the U.S. market is still in the plan), and perhaps leaning more on Nissan for rebadged passenger cars. As for sports cars, if you're a fan of the Lancer Evolution, I'd say go get it now - Masuko doesn't appear to think Mitsu has the resources to pursue that niche.

 

[PV1]

So... I just put my Mitsubishi up for sale on Craigs List.

I'm going to see if I can talk anybody into one. I've had a few offers on mine from a few people, but I couldn't pick them out of a lineup. A few guys at work are interested in EVs, though.

One guy that was really impressed by the i-MiEV ended up getting a Th!nk City. :shock: Never thought I'd see one of those in person. He got a heck of a deal on it. It gives the Smart Electric Drive a run for its money (range, interior room, exterior dimensions, etc.).

 

[Vike]

One guy that was really impressed by the i-MiEV ended up getting a Th!nk City. :shock: Never thought I'd see one of those in person. He got a heck of a deal on it. It gives the Smart Electric Drive a run for its money (range, interior room, exterior dimensions, etc.).

Just curious - what was your impression? Comments and pix give me the sense it's a pretty low rent bit of work, but how do you think it compares in terms of fit/finish/materials with i-MiEV or ForTwo? If you got a ride, were you able to form an impression of noise and ride quality? I always thought it was an interesting little critter, but until the collapse it seemed kinda pricey for what ya got.

 

[PV1]

It's made up of a lot of Ford parts, so most any Ford dealer can supply you with parts. It's put together quite nicely, though the entire body is textured plastic. The rear hatch is nearly entirely glass, so there is excellent rearward visibility. It's range is similar to the i-MiEV's, it's compatible with level 1 and 2 J1772 up to 3.3 kW. I haven't rode in it yet, but it's silent when pulling away. There are only two seats, though. I am impressed by what I have seen of it so far.

 

[Mart]

I think the big question on the 2014s (besides the obvious price reduction) remains if the battery will be changing to the Toshiba SCiBs or not. We know the battery production will be moved to a new factory, but might remain with LEJ (GS Yuasa batteries). The i-MiEV in Japan was available as the G with the 16kWh LEJs or the M with 10.5kWh of Toshibas with reduced range and lower price. On the easy Japanese test cycle this was a reported 120km/10.5kWH or 160km/16kWh range differential. Japanese production with a previously announced price drop is now changing the i-MiEV G to the i-MiEV X with 16kWh battery. The listed weight for the X spec seems to certainly maintain the lighter LEJs rather than the heavier Toshibas. The X is also getting LED headlights in Japan, so we may see these in the NA version as well.

http://insideevs.com/mitsubishi-improving-m-spec-i-miev-and-replacing-g-spec-with-x-spec-in-japan/
http://www.houseofjapan.com/electronics/toshiba-displays-i-miev-ms-li-ion-battery

 

[JoeS]

I think that a pack smaller than the present i-MiEV's would be a non-starter for a BEV in the US, as CHAdeMO still is not as available here as it is in Japan. Since we're speculating, I personally was hoping for a surprise announcement that the 2014 version would have an increased battery capacity … but I guess that's too much to hope for. :roll:

 

[Vike]

Yes, increased battery capacity IS way too much to hope for. And no SCiBs, I'm sure for the same reasons as before - just a non-starter for most of the U.S., and volumes are going to be so low and special orders would take so long that it's just impractical.

But if the 2014's missing your favorite upgrade, let's try to keep things in context. The 2014 i-MiEV is the 2012 i SE, folks. The only tweaks we're getting are those that don't involve any new engineering, so that's the upgraded bundled EVSE (no small thing), standard CHAdeMO (also nothing to sneeze at), heated passenger seat (YES!), and lighted charge port (hadn't thought of that - good idea). I think that's about it.

But with the upgraded trim level, wheels, sound system, CHAdeMO QC, etc., AND a sharp price reduction, I can recommend the car without reservation. I hope they'll be willing to meet whatever demand shows up, and I'd really like it if they'd include the i-MiEV in their advertising (not even dedicated ads - just a mention would be nice). I guess we'll see.

 

[Zelenec]

Why not offer both the battery sizes? For most commuters even 80 km rang is enough. They would appreciate lower price for still satisfactory range.

 

[PV1]

Why not offer both the battery sizes? For most commuters even 80 km rang is enough. They would appreciate lower price for still satisfactory range.

'Cause here in 'Amurica', if it doesn't do 500 miles on a charge and fully recharge in 5 minutes, it's not any good. :lol: People even say that the Model S doesn't have enough range, forgetting the fact that there are superchargers spanning halfway across the US. The exact reason CR didn't give it 100/100 score instead of a 99/100 was because "it had to stop and recharge every couple of hundred miles". [rant]It goes farther on a charge than my Cavalier does on a tank of gas![/rant]

300 miles of driving is 5 hours, then each 30 minute stop at a supercharger gives you another close to 3 hours of driving. On a 1,500 mile trip, charging is adding 3.5 hours to your 20 hours of driving. That's if you stay driving (switching drivers) and don't stop at a hotel. You might lose that much time stopping to eat, and having to wait until you're done eating before you can go and buy gas to keep going, where the Model S can charge while you eat, and net you more miles if you take longer than 30 minutes.

There are quite a few people that the SCiB battery could work for. Quite a few large cities (and pretty much the whole west coast) have a fairly tight network of quick chargers where the SCiB battery may be a better fit than the Yuasas. I doubt the market would be too small to even offer it, though.

 

[JoeS]

I agree with Vike that the package Mitsu is offering is excellent and entailed minimal redesign effort on Mitsu's part, and I'm happy to see they didn't scrimp and did go with the alloy wheels and their lighter unsprung weight. Having only one configuration further reduces Mitsu's costs, as the only variant is car color. As Tesla found out, people did not opt for the smaller battery even though it cost less and would meet 99% of their needs.

 

[PV1]

I know someone who has a rare "40" Model S. They ended up taking the 60 kWh battery and limiting it in software. I'm pretty sure he can pay Tesla to open up the extra capacity via OTA update. His battery should last a long time without showing reduced range.

 

[archie_b]

The way Mitsubishi markets their cars puzzles me. Their web site speaks about the new 2014 i-miev being available in late spring of 2014. Why market it as a 2014 when by the time you make it available half the year is already gone. Very hard to compete with your "new" 2014 when the other makes are offering clearance sales on their 2014s.

Looking at two of the larger auto shows, Detroit and Chicago, Mitsubishi will not have the i-miev at either event. Hard to believe that only 3-4 months before launch they are unable to provide a car for display.

 

[JoeS]

The way Mitsubishi markets their cars puzzles me. Their web site speaks about the new 2014 i-miev being available in late spring of 2014. Why market it as a 2014 when by the time you make it available half the year is already gone. Very hard to compete with your "new" 2014 when the other makes are offering clearance sales on their 2014s.

Yes, there must have been some marketing logic for not calling it a 2015. Any bets when it will show up at dealers' showrooms?

Looking at two of the larger auto shows, Detroit and Chicago, Mitsubishi will not have the i-miev at either event. Hard to believe that only 3-4 months before launch they are unable to provide a car for display.

This must have been quite a dilemma for them: I suspect the 2014 model production line is not up and running so all they could show is an old 2012, which some astute journalists would call them out on. Still, they could have been up-front about it and shown the i-miev to demonstrate that they are still in the EV game. BTW, I couldn't find which models Mitsubishi was actually displaying at the Detroit show.

 

[jray3]

I've seen neither Marketing nor evidence of Logic when it comes to Mitsu's selling of cars in the USA. I test-drove a Euro-model i-MiEV in the spring of 2011 at the Mother Earth News fair and gave 'em all my info, but never got any follow-thru before showing up at a dealer to buy one that December.

I've purchased parts from the dealer that should've raised red flags (premature failure or warranty-voiding mods?)- not a peep.

The only phone calls I've received are asking why I haven't come in for oil changes and annual service. When that third call came, I unloaded on the poor lady.

I'm very happy with the product, just wish I could've predicted the marketing ineptitude and held out for a better buy.

 

[PV1]

I've been trying to contact Mitsubishi for the Pittsburgh Auto Show, seeing if I can exhibit my i-MiEV with them. I would have a lot of fun with that since Mitsubishi is right next to natural gas vehicles :roll: :mrgreen:. Haven't heard anything yet. I doubt they would have an i-MiEV there. They weren't even at the show for 2013.

Seeing how Mitsubishi has handled the i-MiEV makes it apparent why they're losing market hold in the US.

 

[Mart]

Looking at two of the larger auto shows, Detroit and Chicago, Mitsubishi will not have the i-miev at either event. Hard to believe that only 3-4 months before launch they are unable to provide a car for display.

To be fair, it's not only the i-MiEV, or Mitsubishi, or a 2014 phenomenon.
(From 2008 and the 2009 show. NAIAS has continued to lose relevance since then to many manufacturers.)
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/doom-for-the-detroit-show-auto-shows

The seven brands that have announced that they are not participating are a diverse group. Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Nissan, Infiniti, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, and Land Rover are all skipping one the world’s most important automotive events. They follow Porsche, which bailed for 2008 and remains a no-show this year.