EV pricing: Mitsubishi’s electric car economics

By Hybrid Cars on 03/23/2010 – 9:20 am PST -- Transportation

Are EV makers, such as Nissan, accepting huge losses on electric vehicle production? How can this cost $51,000?

The Mitsubish i-MiEV is a terribly unimpressive car, at least in terms of body design, styling and comfort. The few times I’ve been in the 100 mile EV, I’ve wondered why anyone would buy such a vehicle for more than $20,000.

Yet, the i-MiEV costs $51,000. By 2012, Mitsubishi hopes to sell 30,000 i-MiEVs per year, but aren’t such numbers completely unrealistic? For instance, why buy an i-MiEV when the Nissan Leaf or the the Chevy Volt will cost significantly less, while offering more?

And that makes me wonder, is Mitsubishi incompetent in either engineering or finance? Is their EV technology just that much more expensive than the competition? Are big profit margins a mandatory requirement?

How is it the Nissan Leaf might sell for $30,000 while the i-MiEV sells for $50,000?

EVMan

Great questions.

Only thing is that ‘might sell for’ is not ‘will sell for’. Notice the difference?

Didn’t Mitsubishi’s PR say the i-Miev was going to be the affordable EV?

I suspect that automotive corporate PR departments just assume that consumers have very short memories. They have a track record of positive spin on EV costs…right until the time a sales price is actually announced.

So, hold your comments until the Leaf and the Volt actually get into the showroom with a price sticker on them. Then target your comments at Nissan and GM who I think you’ll find will have been spinning some positive PR stories…