Due to the positive feedback received from the UK and different European markets for the i-MiEV, Mitsubishi decided to raise the production to 10,000 units(from 2,000 ) for the electric city car which is scheduled for release in 2009 in the Japanese market and 2010 in Europe. The company finalised a joint venture with Lithium Energy Japan in order to build a new plant in Japan, this being an imperative to be capable of supplying the increasing demand.

According to the company’s officials, the new plant will be ready for use by next April and will initially produce 1 million palm size lithium-ion cells a year, considered enough to power the 10,000 vehicles. They also plan a second new plant by 2012 making another investment of 10 billion yen. It seems that the UK subsidiary of Mitsubishi->ke58 already made a demand for the first 2,000 units produced in order to make a launch in London in 2009. The company still has to decide whether they will support this request.

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