Mitsubishi Australia has the EK X all-electric K-Car if it proves our market is ripe for such a vehicle. The wheels understands
The EV was introduced in the firm’s native Japan last year for ¥2,398,000 (about AU$26,500), joining the KEi-car series locally with a “more SUV flavor.”
It claims a driving range of 180km coming from a 20kWh battery, offers 47kW of power and 195Nm of torque, and weighs a light 1080kg.
The battery is said to be able to charge to full capacity in eight hours using regular charging (AC200V/14.5A), or to 80% in about 40 minutes using quick charging, and that includes two-way vehicle loading. There is also the power of
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But is the pint-sized Outlander really likely to come to Australia where we love big SUVs and utes? Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott thinks so – under the right circumstances.
“[EK X] One of them is where we are always looking for new opportunities,” he said The wheels.
“We have to ask, is it relevant? Can it work in Australia? But certainly one thing I’ve noticed at Mitsubishi is that Japan takes our media feedback quite seriously, so watch this space. “
According to Westcott, one of Mitsubishi Australia’s ideas is what the taste is for EVs locally, and it’s also guided by history – which hasn’t always been so kind to the company.
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It was the first (and since then only) all-electric offering in Australia, the i-Miev hatchback, introduced here in 2009 a year after its launch in Japan. However, it was not actually publicly available until 2011 and was discontinued by 2013.
It had a starting price of around $48,000 at the time and was charged in eight hours using a 15-amp power supply or four hours with a fast charger to achieve a driving range of just over 100 km.
“We lost a lot of money. [on i-Miev] Because Australia wasn’t ready for it,” Westcott said. “Perhaps frankly, we got our fingers burned, because we brought the technology to market 15 years too early.
“We were ahead of our time, but it cost us a lot of money. So all the recent talk about EVs and PHEVs — are we ready?
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“It is important that we give ourselves time to the market. We support what the new government is doing, but [also focus on] What our customers need and want. They are ready for.”
In recent months, the automaker has revealed plans to launch 35 electric vehicles on five new platforms by 2030, and has said it could gain access to several electric models from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance if it wants to. Is.
“We have, through our alliances and our networks, access to a wide variety of cars,” Westcott told us. “Not all of them will work in Australia. Not all of them appeal to Australians. We have access to a whole suite of French cars – they’re the best-selling cars in Europe, but they’re the worst in Australia. Not many selling cars.
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“As Australia’s CEO, I have to look at what Australia needs? What does Australia want? It’s like opening a drawer on a filing cabinet. We can get them, but do we get them?” need, and do we want them, and will our customers buy them?
“I mean, [climate change/EV] The conversation we’re having with Chris Bowen wouldn’t have happened three years ago. They wouldn’t even be on the radar. So the world is moving fast and moving, and as a business, we need to be able to respond to the market – economic conditions, macroeconomic conditions, microeconomic conditions, changing consumers, consumers. The needs, wants, preferences of that’s what we do. That’s our main job.”