Mitsubishi prices 'i' electric car $4,790 below Nissan Leaf

Mitsubishi priced its new "i" electric car almost $5,000 less than Nissan's battery-powered Leaf in its bid to win a share of the emerging rechargeable auto market in the U.S.

The 2012 Mitsubishi i will have a base price of $27,990, Yoichi Yokozawa, the Tokyo-based carmaker's North American chief executive, said Thursday at the New York International Auto Show. After a U.S. tax credit, the cost to consumers will be $20,490, making it the most affordable electric vehicle in the U.S., he said. The Leaf's base price is $32,780, before the tax incentive.

"We want to penetrate this market and need to be competitive on pricing," Yokozawa told reporters. The initial goal is to deliver about 2,000 units, and "later, we'd like to go to 20,000 or 30,000 a year," he said.

Mitsubishi's move creates a rivalry in the U.S. with Nissan, which aims to be the world's biggest seller of electric cars. Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan began delivering Leafs to U.S. drivers in December and this week said it's preparing to expand shipments of the car from the low hundreds to a thousand units or more per month. Nissan's goal is to eventually sell 500,000 battery cars a year globally.

U.S. customers can pre-order the lithium-ion battery-powered i beginning Friday, Mitsubishi's Yokozawa said. The car should travel about 85 miles per charge, depending on driving conditions, he said.

Toyota, Honda, Ford and other large automakers have also announced plans to sell electric cars in the U.S. by 2012, in part to meet regulations in California forcing them to do so.

by : http://www.mercurynews.com

Nissan Leaf Wins Car of the Year at 2011 New York International Auto Show

In a recent announcement out of this year’s New York Auto Show, Nissan took home top honors for its entry in the electric car market. The Nissan Leaf was awarded 2011 Car of the Year at the international show.


Rounding out the top three for Car of the Year were the Audi 8 and the BMW 5-series. For Nissan, the win for the Leaf is a big feather in its cap, coming just a day after the Japanese auto maker announced that it would start taking new orders for the electric vehicle.


In addition to its win as Car of the Year, the Nissan Leaf also placed number 2 in the category of World Green Car of the Year. The Chevy Volt won the in the Green Car category.


Some of the other awards at the show included World Performance Car of the Year which, not surprisingly, went to the Ferrari 458 Italia. The Aston Martin Rapide took home the top prize for World Design Car of the Year.


by : http://newstaar.com


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Nissan Including Juke Sporty and Leaf Aero Concept At the Accessible Tokyo Auto Salon 2011 with NAPAC

At the accessible Tokyo Auto Salon 2011 with NAPAC (Japan Car Parts and Aftermarket Promotion Association), to be captivated from January 14 to 16, Nissan, calm with Autech Japan and its centralized NISMO achievement division, will premiere a absolute of nine vehicles.

Highlights will accommodate the zero-emission LEAF Aero Style Concept able with a affected attractive bodykit and analogous admixture caster designs, and a appropriate adaptation of the Juke adapted with exoteric accessories advised for the European and North American bazaar models.

Autech Japan will advertise three vehicles, including the Elgrand Rider Premium Concept, which is the JDM adaptation of the N.A. Quest minivan, the customized Serena Rider and the March-Based Bolero (Micra for those alfresco Japan).

Finally, NISMO will present its fresh assembly chase car, the GT-R RC, alongside the acquainted 355HP Fairlady Z (370Z) and the GT-R racecar that competed in the 2010 SUPER GT series.