Nissan and Mitsubishi readying kei EV for 2022 launch

Nissan and Mitsubishi are reportedly developing an electric kei car that will go on sale in Japan next year for around two million yen (RM75,472) before subsidies, reports Nikkei Asia. With local subsidies in cities such as Tokyo, the price is said to fall to around 1.5 million yen (RM56,597).

The kei EV will use a shared platform and battery pack, the latter expected to provide around 200 km of range. Nissan has put forth such an idea before, as the carmaker previously unveiled the IMk concept for the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show.

The boxy show car measured 3,434 mm length, 1,512 mm width and 1,644 mm height, which is close to kei car regulations. It also had a lounge-like cabin as well as the latest ProPILOT and connected technologies – Invisible-to-Visible (I2V) and Nissan Energy Share (Vehicle-to-Home) systems.

Mitsubishi also had a crack at selling a kei EV with the i-MiEV, although it was priced well above what was mentioned at the start. With kei cars accounting for almost 40% of all car sales in the country, EV versions are certainly important to increase the adoption rate EVs, provided they are affordably priced.

GALLERY: Nissan IMk concept