Mitsubishi Preparing U.S. Dealerships For the i Car

Considering that the Mitsubishi i electric car goes on sale in four U.S. states in January, the manufacturer advised ahead that there are some investments to be made. Mitsubishi expects that dealers in Oregon, California, Washingtonand Hawaii will invest capital in special equipment and personnel training in order to be prepared for the launch of the i electric car in January.

As expected dealers will have to update their showrooms and service departments with 220-volt electric charging stations outside showrooms. In addition to that there must be installed flat screens in every showroom showing charging instructions and informations regarding the EV. The updating program is called ”Mistubishi Standard” and will make a hole in the manufacturers budget of $25,000, including the enhancements the special tools and the personnel training.

By the end of 2012 about 35 of 42 Mitsubishi dealers across four states, which are capable of selling the i electric car have agreed to make the necessary improvements recommended by the manufacturer. The ideal percentage to be achieved by 2012 would be of 80 percent of Mitsubishi’s total 400 U.S. dealers. The staff will be trained specifically into the technical details of the i car and will also be aware of the competing products like the Nissan Leaf.

"It's a necessary evil because ... this is not your everyday car buyer. The dealership staff needs to be educated because I believe your buyer is going to be very educated about the product coming in." Snorre Grunnan, CEO of San Rafael Mitsubishi was quoted as saying by autonews.com. Mitsubishi expects sales of 1,000 units sold in the first quarter of 2012, we’d also note that there are already 400 pre-orders for the Mitsubishi i car.