When I leased my first I-MiEV it was kind of as a joke. I drove by the dealer and there they were with zero down and a $99 per month lease. For that kind of money, why not get one for the heck of it. I drove a LEAF and had another car that ran on compressed natural gas (for longer range trips). It turns out that I really enjoyed the I-MiEV to the point that I tried to buy out the lease for a reasonable price and when that failed and the 10K rebate came, I bought another. After awhile, I noticed the LEAF wasn't being driven as I was always in the I-MiEV when driving around town. There is no doubt about it that the LEAF is a far better highway vehicle than the I-MiEV but the range on either car wasn't sufficient for taking any kind of a trip and the real range is only about 20 miles longer on the LEAF. I finally decided that I needed a highway capable car with more range. Last week, I returned the LEAF to the dealer, paid off the lease, and walked away. I placed an order for a Tesla model S sedan as a replacement. So why is Mitsubishi stupid? For starters, I had never driven, owned or been in a Mitsubishi dealer before I leased the I-MiEV. So impressed with the vehicle for what is caused me to look at other Mitsubishi offerings. I stumbled on the Outlander and when I found out there would soon be a PHEV version, I was hooked. I kept track of anything I could about it---even telling the dealer I would order one the minute they became available. However, the timetable kept slipping. Battery issues, sold out in Japan, Europe gets it first, selling everyone they make, available early 2014, late 2014, 2015? and so on. I finally gave up and bought something for twice the price that wasn't vaporware. The bottom line is Mitsubishi's stupidity cost them a customer and a sale---and many more as the demand for this vehicle is here now. By the time the Outlander PHEV comes to the US I fear either someone else will beat them to it in the market and/or Mitsubishi will cease to be in the US automotive business.