Mitsubishi Motors, a Japanese automaker that has struggled through a global sales slump and barely escaped bankruptcy, is eyeing the plug-in vehicle market to turn its fate around. Mitsubishi’s future plans call for the launch of eight new plug-in vehicles by the end of 2015, transforming the Japanese car maker from offering only a single electric-drive model (the i-MiEV) today, into a plug-in automotive powerhouse in four year’s time.
Mitsubishi states that the eight scheduled vehicles launches will include a mix of plug-in hybrids and battery-electrics and feature autos like the U.S.-market Mitsubishi i and the Minicab MiEV, a commercial electric van slated to debut later this year. In addition, Mitsubishi’s launch schedule calls for the automaker’s first plug-in hybrid to hit the roads – in the U.S., Japan and Europe – by the end of 2012 (likely based on the Concept PX-MiEV crossover). Furthermore, Mitsubishi anticipates that its global production of plug-in vehicles will soar to 27,000 units per year by 2015.
[Source: Green Car Advisor]
