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Nissan Will Finally Launch Its Electric Kei Car in a Partnership With Mitsubishi

In March, Nikkei Asia anticipated that Nissan and Mitsubishi would have a new kei car option. It would be electric and probably based on the IMk concept presented in October 2019. No official confirmation about that came until this August 27, when Nissan revealed that it would indeed sell a new “electric minivehicle” early in 2022.
Nissan IMk Concept 19 photos
Photo: Nissan
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The new kei car will be developed by NMKV, a joint-venture between the two companies specifically for the development of kei cars, which are extremely popular in their home country. It will have a 20 kWh battery pack which should be enough “to cover daily needs in Japan.” Although the company called it a “minivehicle,” it is clear it was referring to the kei car segment.

The future EV will be 3.40 m (133.9 inches) long, 1.48 m (58.3 in) wide, and 1.66 m tall. Those measures fit the requirements for kei cars perfectly: a maximum of 3.40 meters in length, 1.48 m in width, and 2 m (78.74 in) in height, with a maximum power of 47 kW (63 hp).

Just like the Nissan Ariya, it will have V2G (vehicle-to-grid) capabilities, which will allow the little EV to provide energy for a house in case of a power outage. In a country like Japan, where earthquakes and other natural disasters may strike all of a sudden, that is quite handy.

Nikkei Asia got even the price right for the new EV. It stated the new kei car would cost around 2 million yen ($18,185 at the current exchange rate) thanks to subsidies. Nissan confirmed everything. It probably just took this long to happen due to the international health crisis and the semiconductors shortage.

Although we have no idea how Nissan could call its new kei car, Mitsubishi could certainly revive the name i-MiEV, which used to be sold in the U.S. for $27,000. The kei car may eventually cross the oceans again to reach American shores.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
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Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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