Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi I-MiEV Cargo Gets More Space, Even Sillier Design

If you though Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV electric city car was both silly looking and impractical, perhaps the i-MiEV Cargo is more up your alley? Or perhaps not. With significantly more usable space, along with an even more ridiculous shape, the Cargo model is a concept that Mitsubishi is exploring for eventual production. The i-MiEV on which it’s based has already been given the green light with sales starting in Japan in April of 2010.

Designed more for urban transportation of goods than hauling hay, the tiny i-MiEV CARGO actually boasts a serious amount of cargo room, with the rear cargo space measuring 1,350 mm wide by 1,180 mm high and 1,100 mm high. That equates to 1,742.3 liters or 61.9 cubic feet of space.

The i-MiEV Cargo has a range of roughly 100 miles on a charge and makes 63hp and 133 ft-lbs of torque.

The i-MiEV Cargo will officially be unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show on October 21st.

Official release after the jump:

MITSUBISHI MOTORS LINEUP AT THE 41ST TOKYO MOTOR SHOW

Tokyo, 30th September 2009 – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will be showing a total of 16 cars at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show in October. Among cars on display at the Mitsubishi Motor stand include two concept cars developed to a “The EV*: Its dawn and future” theme: the Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV and the i-MiEV CARGO, the i-MiEV new-generation electric vehicle for which the company is currently accepting pre-orders for the start of sales to individual customers in April 2010; and 10 current production vehicles that qualify for eco-car tax incentives in Japan. The 41st Tokyo Motor Show will be held at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture just outside metropolitan Tokyo, open to the public from October 24 through November 4, with press and media days October 21 and 22.

*electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid vehicle

WORLD PREMIERE: i-MiEV CARGO
Derived from the production i-MiEV, this concept maximises the outstanding environmental performance and economic efficiency characteristics that define the EV and at the same time adds a generous amount of rear free space to extend the range of uses to which it can be put by corporate users and self-employed operators in particular. The rear space features space-efficient cubic dimensions to allow the user to exercise their imagination fully in adapting it for whatever use he/she chooses. The result is a concept for an EV that meets user needs for a variety of situations: from business use, where maximum payload space is required, to leisure and other individual owner uses.

i-MiEV CARGO

i-MiEV CARGO (SHOW MODEL)

1. Design
The i-MiEV CARGO‘s unique styling was developed around a “joint” design concept as it links the i-MiEV‘s curvaceous front section with a square rear end to give the vehicle a distinctive road presence in a wide variety of situations. Inside, the clean and simple styling eliminates extraneous elements and details to improve usability and create an interior space characterised by its free-thinking design and originality.

2. Luggage compartment
Measuring 1350 mm wide by 1180 mm deep and 1100 mm high and having a flat floor, the cube-shaped luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle allows every inch of available space to be utilised. The height of the compartment floor has been designed to facilitate loading and unloading of luggage and make it more user-friendly.

i-MiEV CARGO SPECIFICATIONS