Report: Mitsubishi moving to make more i-MiEVs

Just how many Mitsubishi i-MiEVs will be made? Not even Mitsubishi knows, apparently. Whenever we get a reported prediction number, it always goes up a bit later. For example, in the near future (2013), Mitsubishi had been planning to make 20,000 per year but that had been increased to 30,000. For the current fiscal year (2010), the number is going up, too, because orders "far outstrip" expectations Mitsubishi said. We heard recently that the number had grown from 5,000 to 8,500 units, but even that isn't going to be enough, apparently. The Nikkei reports that Mitsubishi's battery suppliers have been told that the Japanese automaker is now planning to make 9,000 i-MiEVs this year. Lithium Energy Japan, a partnership between GS Yuasa, Mitsubishi Motors and Mitsubishi Corp., will make enough packs for 7,000 cars while GS Yuasa will make an additional 2,000 packs. The car, which has been available to corporate customers in Japan since last year, goes on sale to the general public there in April.

[Source: Nikkei – sub. req. via Green Car Congress]