Mitsubishi Plans Small Electric Car

[jpak]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119562584893800409.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. President Osamu Masuko said his Tokyo-based auto maker will try to mass-market a small electric vehicle, intended as a "city commuter," by 2010 and is also considering developing a "plug-in" gasoline-electric hybrid car that can be recharged by plugging it into a wall electric outlet.

Mr. Masuko said battery technology has advanced to the point in recent years that electric vehicles are no longer as far-fetched as they once were. They are becoming affordable and powerful and long-range enough to be viable in congested cities, especially when the technology is used in small cars, he said in a recent interview in Tokyo.

"One of the biggest issues facing an auto maker today is the problem of the environment," Mr. Masuko said. "Being able to come up with solutions to an array of environmental issues or not will decide if an auto maker can survive long into the future."

Mr. Masuko said Mitsubishi's aim is to come out with a small electric vehicle by 2010, "if not earlier."

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