Mitsubishi has announced it will supply French car maker PSA/Peugeot-Citroen with 100,000 units of its i-MiEV electric vehicle. The i-MiEV will be sold under PSA’s Peugeot and Citroen brands, at a combined rate of about 25,000 units per year.
Per the terms of the new agreement, Mitsubishi will begin production of the i-MiEV for the Peugeot and Citroen brands this October. Sales will kick off just a few weeks later, with the all-electric vehicle expected to be in showrooms by year’s end.
The European version of the i-MiEV will be built at Mitsubishi ’s Mizushima, Japan factory. The Mizushima factory is also slated to begin production of a U.S.-bound i-MiEV model in mid-2011.
Although both of PSA’s brands will market a version of the i-MiEV, we have so far only seen Peugeot’s version. That model – dubbed the i0n – bowed at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. Peugeot officially opened orders for the i0n in late 2009.
Despite the visual similarities between the i-MiEV and the i0n, Mitsubishi says the cars will have different suspension and handling characteristics. Mitsubishi’s EV partnership with PSA is expected to run 5 to 6 years.
References
1. ‘Mitsubishi to make…’ view
