Mitsubishi i
| Mitsubishi i | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Motors |
| Production | 2006–2013 |
| Assembly | Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan (Mizushima plant) |
| Designer | Olivier Boulay |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Kei car |
| Body style | 5-door hatchback |
| Layout | Mid-engine, rear-/four-wheel drive |
| Platform | Mitsubishi MR platform |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 659 cc DOHC MIVEC 12v I3 |
| Transmission | 4-speed automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,550 mm (100.4 in) |
| Length | 3,395 mm (133.7 in) |
| Width | 1,475 mm (58.1 in) |
| Height | 1,600 mm (63.0 in) |
| Curb weight | 890–900 kg (1,960–1,980 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor |
Mitsubishi i-MiEV Mitsubishi eK |
The Mitsubishi i (三菱・i Mitsubishi i?) is a kei car from automaker Mitsubishi Motors, first released in January 2006, twenty eight months after its debut at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is the first four-door automobile since the 1960s to employ a "rear midship" setup with the engine behind the passengers, in an attempt to improve safety and interior space without enlarging the overall exterior.
The innovative layout and styling of the i proved an immediate critical and commercial success, exceeding Mitsubishi's initial sales targets by 20 percent and winning thirteen awards in its first year. Although designed with the Japanese keijidōsha light automobile class in mind, the attention it generated led to its subsequent introduction in right hand drive markets in Asia, Oceania and Europe. It is also used as a basis of the 2009 i-MiEV battery electric vehicle.
Two prototypes were exhibited during the car's development. The first was the "i" Concept, which debuted at the 60th Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003, and previewed the car's striking exterior. Motoring journalists were quick to seize on the distinctive silhouette, calling it "a very good egg", and a "crystal ball" with which to see the future of Mitsubishi. One reviewer even speculated it to be an allusion by the vehicle's French-born designer Olivier Boulay to the Renault 4CV, France's popular post-war "people's car" with which the i shared its four-seat, rear-engined layout. Its styling was formally lauded when the i won the Grand Prize at the 50th anniversary Good Design Awards from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in October 2006, the first kei car to win the award.
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Wikipedia