Mitsubishi has confirmed that it is currently developing a city car set to compete with the Toyota iQ.
The Japanese carmaker has confirmed the rumour about a future small city model. In order to rely on its expertise, the carmaker will build the car according to the Kei car standards. In Japan, this special category has fiscal incentives, but must respect some strict standards. Length must be less than 133in, width less than 58in and engine displacement must be less than 660cc. Output power must also be less than 63bhp. However, for the European markets, the car will be powered by the same 1.0-litre petrol engine as the Smart ForTwo.
The car will be a rear-engined and rear-wheel drive model. The architecture is similar to that of the i model. In the previous post, we explained how the idea to build a global city car complying with Kei cars standards was a really bad idea. Compared to an iQ or a ForTwo, a Kei car won’t be innovative enough. However, a competitive price might be a major asset. Innovative small cars or exported Kei cars? Market will deicide the outlook.
