Starting in January 2011 in the UK, Mitsubishi will have designated distributors who will be fully operational Mitsubishi’s electric vehicle sales centers. The approved Mitsubishi London dealerships will have 2 sales staff fully trained in the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) and will also have a broader understanding of future Mitsubishi plug-in hybrid and pure EV technologies.
All nominated EV Sales Center staff have had an extensive training program so there is a very clear understanding of the demands and requirements of EVs for consumers and they understand the broader related industry issues with the electric vehicle market.
After-sales departments will also need to comply with mandatory manufacturer training and require specialized tools to enable servicing and maintenance of electric vehicles. All 118 Mitsubishi dealerships in the UK were designated as EV Service Centers as of January 10, 2010, providing nationwide after-sales coverage.
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car was launched in January 2011, it is more expensive to buy than conventional superminis, the fully electric car will cost £ 38,699. Since 2011 there is a government grant of £ 5,000 available, which buyers can use to pay for the electric car.
To fully charge the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, it will cost just £ 1, Mitsubishi has estimated it will cost just £ 115 to power the car over a distance of 12,000 miles. I-MiEV owners will be exempt from the London congestion charge of £ 10 a day, owners will also benefit from the car being exempt from road tax.
Maintenance costs will also be low as the car has fewer moving parts, although figures have not yet been released. The manufacturer also expects resale values to be high because demand will exceed supply.