Designed exclusively for the US market, the official line is that the upsizing is being done to satisfy the country’s more stringent crash tests. It definitely, absolutely, categorically has nothing to do with rumours that some Americans might be a bit large.
The ‘narrow’ i-MiEV has an anticipated range of 100 miles (160 km) and a top speed of 80 mph (130 km/h). There’s no word yet on whether the bigger body will affect that performance, but an added benefit of the changes is that the US-spec i-MiEV will have a wider dash, and that surely means extra space to fit bigger cup holders?
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is due to go on sale in the US late next year with a price tag of under $30,000, before the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles is applied.
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