Citroën gets Mitsubishi i MiEV variant, Euro sales begin 2010

The Peugeot lion won't be the only badge burnishing the snouts of re-branded Mitsubishi i MiEVs buzzing around the streets of European cities a little more than a year from now. It's been decided that the twin chrome chevrons of Citroën are as worthy as its sister emblem to adorn a Francified variant of the Japanese automaker's global version of the i MiEV. In Paris, over what we imagine was green tea and croissants, Osamu Masuko of MiMoCo and his CEO equivalent at PSA Peugeot Citroën, Philippe Varin, signed further agreements and worked out some of the details of their sharing arrangement.

Production is said to begin in October of 2010 with examples appearing in showrooms sometime before Christmas. The move gives Citroën a low emissions model ahead of its planned 2011 DS5 HYbrid4 and will give consumers yet another electric choice in the Euro marketspace. Brief press release after the break.

[Source: Mitsubishi Motor Company]



PRESS RELEASE:

New Step in the Electric Vehicles cooperative agreement between Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and PSA Peugeot Citroën.

Paris/Tokyo, September 4, 2009 Osamu Masuko, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), and Philippe Varin, CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroën, signed today in Paris a cooperative agreement that signifies a new step in their partnership on electric vehicles (EV).

The main points of this cooperative agreement are:

• The development of an EV for the European market based on MMC's Japanese i-MiEV*1 model
• The vehicle is to be sold in Europe, with both Peugeot and Citroën versions
• Production is planned to commence in October 2010 for commercial launch in the European market by the end of 2010.

MMC first launched the new-generation EV i-MiEV in Japan in June, and will begin global sales of the right-hand drive vehicle this year. MMC has plans to expand rollout of the i-MiEV in left-hand drive markets in fiscal year 2010.

For PSA Peugeot Citroën this new EV will further enrich its range of low-emission vehicles; along with its hybrid diesel technology to be launched in 2011 on the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 and Citroën DS5 HYbrid4, and a Plug-In HYbrid4 diesel in 2012, PSA Peugeot Citroën confirms its aim to be a step ahead in pioneering vehicles with low CO2 emissions.
*1 Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle, based on the "i" minicar