Mitsubishi i MiEV wins Most Advanced Technology Award

The Mitsubishi i MiEV electric city car has won the Japanese Car of the Year “Most Advanced Technology” award at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The zero-emissions car was praised for the way it's applied its advanced lithium-ion battery technology into a full four-seat family city car, and having achieved full-production status.

The car was available in Japan from July this year with all 1,400 of this year's units destined for the Japanese market already sold. An additional 900 orders have also been received in Japan for the 2010 build allocation.

European production is scheduled to begin in October 2010 and will be available in left hand drive markets across Continental Europe towards the end of 2010, according to market. The UK, because it's a right hand drive market as in Japan, will see its first cars go onto UK roads in December this year.

The Japanese Car of the Year award underlines Mitsubishi's long standing expertise in the field of electric vehicles since the early 1970s. It also signals good progress towards Mitsubishi's stated goal of having 20% of total production as either electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by 2020.