100th All-Electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV Sold to Quebec Customer
Certified i-MiEV Dealers Grows to 40 Across Canada
Jean-Sébastien Croteau of Victoriaville, Quebec took delivery of the 100th and 101st Mitsubishi i-MiEV last week – a milestone sale of Canada’s most fuel efficient subcompact and the nation’s most affordable electric vehicle.
Croteau plans to use his new 2012 i-MiEVs for urban deliveries of health products for his Victoriaville firm Brunet Plus, adding: “We looked for a small, functional, zero-emission car, and worked very closely with Victoriaville Mitsubishi in arriving at the i-MiEV.”
Tony Laframboise, vice president, Sales & Marketing at Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, said i-MiEV is taking Mitsubishi where few companies have gone before: “Over one hundred i-MiEV deliveries is very significant considering Mitsubishi is opening an all-new market segment in Canada. Pure electric vehicles are so rare that there isn’t an existing customer base, so we’re building the market one sale at a time.”
Diamond White Pearl in colour, Croteau’s i-MiEVs were purchased at Victoriaville Mitsubishi in southeast Quebec, one of 10 newly-named i-MiEV dealerships. That brings to 40 the number of Mitsubishi dealerships certified to market i-MiEV, or nearly one-half of Mitsubishi’s national dealer body. The newly certified dealerships extend i-MiEV sales to eight provinces.
Dealership certification is based on stringent criteria, including service capability, quality customer service and special sales & service training. Each certified dealership designates an i-MiEV sales champion and maintains at least two Level II charging systems.
Since its launch in Canada last mid-December, the zero tailpipe-emission Mitsubishi i-MiEV has made news for its advanced electric vehicle technology, progressive styling and fun-to-drive character.
Based on the EnerGuide label from Natural Resources Canada, i-MiEV achieves the equivalent of 1.9 L/100 km (city) and 2.1 L/100 km (city/highway). EnerGuide projects annual energy costs for i-MiEV to be $449. The average new vehicle is rated at 10.0 L/100km – requiring $12,600 to fuel over five years. That puts i-MiEV savings at over $10,000 over five years in fuel costs alone; fewer moving parts and no oil changes increase operating cost savings even more dramatically.
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is a five-door, 4-passenger, subcompact hatchback with a range of up to 155 km. It is one of only two pure electric vehicles currently available in Canada and was named the most fuel-efficient subcompact car sold in Canada by Natural Resources Canada.
Source: Mitsubishi Canada