Mitsubishi says electric vehicle key for Japan in green race

Even as Mitsubishi Motors readies for the long-awaited launch of its "i-MiEV" electric vehicle, its president, Osamu Masuko, admits that very few people in Japan actually understand the merits of driving the zero-emission car.     

But he also insists that Japanese automakers need to keep brushing up their technology on Electric Vehicles in order to maintain their global competitive edge as new rivals from neighboring China and SKorea enter the race for green cars.     

"The competition will become severely intense from now on, so our global strategy will be to constantly study how we can maintain our comparative advantage," Masuko said in an interview with Kyodo News.     

As Japanese auto giants such as Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co carve their presence in the shrinking auto market with booming sales of its electric-gasoline hybrids, success in the EV market would allow Japan to stay ahead amid the recent demise of conventional rivals like General Motors and Chrysler, he adds.     

Mitsubishi Motors will roll out its i-MiEV in July for corporates and to the wider public from next April. The product will be released overseas starting in right-hand-drive territories including Britain and Hong Kong later this year.     

The egg-shaped hatchback is has a price tag of 4.59 million yen and can travel 160 kms on a single charge and reach a top speed of 130 km per hour.