The innovative layout and styling of the i proved an immediate critical and commercial success, exceeding Mitsubishi's initial sales targets by 20 percent and winning thirteen awards in its first year. Although designed with the Japanese keijidōsha light automobile class in mind, the attention it generated led to its subsequent introduction in right hand drive markets in Asia, Oceania and Europe. It is also used as a basis of the 2009 i-MiEV battery electric vehicle.
Mitsubishi i Concept 2003
Car: Mitsubishi i Concept 2003
Two prototypes were exhibited during the car's development. The first was the "i" Concept, which debuted at the 60th Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003, and previewed the car's striking exterior. Motoring journalists were quick to seize on the distinctive silhouette, calling it "a very good egg", and a "crystal ball" with which to see the future of Mitsubishi. One reviewer even speculated it to be an allusion by the vehicle's French-born designer Olivier Boulay to the Renault 4CV, France's popular post-war "people's car" with which the i shared its four seat, rear-engined layout. Its styling was formally lauded when the i won the Grand Prize at the 50th anniversary Good Design Awards from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in October 2006, the first kei car to win the award.
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003) - Rear Angle
Explaining the choice of name, the company claimed that "i" could represent the owner (I, the nominative personal pronoun) as an encouragement to personal expression, or innovation, intelligence and imagination, keywords in the car's development. It was also a play on the Japanese word for love, 愛 (pronounced /ai/).
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003)
The "i" Concept was powered by a 999 cc powerplant with the company's Mitsubishi Smart Idling (MSI) system, which turns off the engine automatically when the vehicle is stationary, and can restart it within 0.2 seconds. So equipped, Mitsubishi claimed the car was capable of fuel consumption of no more than 3.8 litres per 100 kilometres (74.3 mpg-imp; 61.9 mpg-US).
2003 Mitsubishi i Concept 2003
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003) - 3 of 31 [1600x1200] [1280x960]
The second prototype, called the Se-Ro and exhibited at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show, previewed the production model's more conventional mechanical underpinnings, despite having a more radical appearance which bore little resemblance to the final design. Instead, its polished aluminium body was styled to resemble a zeppelin or airship, which Se-Ro design head Shuji Yamada described as a realization of his fantasies of the future from childhood. The aviation theme continued with the name; Se-Ro, short for "secret room", was a veiled reference to the Mitsubishi Zero fighter aircraft of World War II.
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003) - 6 of 31 [1600x1200] [1280x960]
2003 Mitsubishi i concept
Vehicle : 2003 Mitsubishi i Concept information
A lightweight aluminium space frame structure and a rear-engined layout allowed Mitsubishi to incorporate a larger front crumple zone, in order to meet current safety legislation requirements without compromising interior space. With no powertrain in front of the driver, the designers were able to shorten the front overhang and lengthen the wheelbase to 2,550 millimetres (100.4 in), giving greater legroom for passengers than many comparable kei cars whose wheelbase is typically 130–190 mm (5.1–7.5 in) less. The downside of this design was a reduction in cargo-carrying capacity, which was necessarily compromised by the engine's location in the rear.
Mitsubishi i Concept
Mitsubishi i Concept
The i has a "rear-midship" engine mounted just ahead of the rear axle, a highly unusual configuration in a small car where front-engine design has dominated since the 1970s. The 3B20 three cylinder powerplant has an aluminium cylinder block, a displacement of 659 cubic centimetres, and incorporates double overhead camshafts with MIVEC variable valve timing in the cylinder head. Initially only an intercooled and turbocharged engine was offered, until a naturally aspirated version was introduced for 2007. A four-speed automatic gearbox transmits power to the rear or all four wheels, depending on specification.
Mitsubishi i Concept 2003 02
Mitsubishi SE RO Concept
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003) - Rear Angle
Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport Air
Mitsubishi SE RO Concept
Mitsubishi i Concept 2003
Car: Mitsubishi i Concept 2003
Two prototypes were exhibited during the car's development. The first was the "i" Concept, which debuted at the 60th Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003, and previewed the car's striking exterior. Motoring journalists were quick to seize on the distinctive silhouette, calling it "a very good egg", and a "crystal ball" with which to see the future of Mitsubishi. One reviewer even speculated it to be an allusion by the vehicle's French-born designer Olivier Boulay to the Renault 4CV, France's popular post-war "people's car" with which the i shared its four seat, rear-engined layout. Its styling was formally lauded when the i won the Grand Prize at the 50th anniversary Good Design Awards from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in October 2006, the first kei car to win the award.
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003) - Rear Angle
Explaining the choice of name, the company claimed that "i" could represent the owner (I, the nominative personal pronoun) as an encouragement to personal expression, or innovation, intelligence and imagination, keywords in the car's development. It was also a play on the Japanese word for love, 愛 (pronounced /ai/).
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003)
The "i" Concept was powered by a 999 cc powerplant with the company's Mitsubishi Smart Idling (MSI) system, which turns off the engine automatically when the vehicle is stationary, and can restart it within 0.2 seconds. So equipped, Mitsubishi claimed the car was capable of fuel consumption of no more than 3.8 litres per 100 kilometres (74.3 mpg-imp; 61.9 mpg-US).
2003 Mitsubishi i Concept 2003
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003) - 3 of 31 [1600x1200] [1280x960]
The second prototype, called the Se-Ro and exhibited at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show, previewed the production model's more conventional mechanical underpinnings, despite having a more radical appearance which bore little resemblance to the final design. Instead, its polished aluminium body was styled to resemble a zeppelin or airship, which Se-Ro design head Shuji Yamada described as a realization of his fantasies of the future from childhood. The aviation theme continued with the name; Se-Ro, short for "secret room", was a veiled reference to the Mitsubishi Zero fighter aircraft of World War II.
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003) - 6 of 31 [1600x1200] [1280x960]
2003 Mitsubishi i concept
Vehicle : 2003 Mitsubishi i Concept information
A lightweight aluminium space frame structure and a rear-engined layout allowed Mitsubishi to incorporate a larger front crumple zone, in order to meet current safety legislation requirements without compromising interior space. With no powertrain in front of the driver, the designers were able to shorten the front overhang and lengthen the wheelbase to 2,550 millimetres (100.4 in), giving greater legroom for passengers than many comparable kei cars whose wheelbase is typically 130–190 mm (5.1–7.5 in) less. The downside of this design was a reduction in cargo-carrying capacity, which was necessarily compromised by the engine's location in the rear.
Mitsubishi i Concept
Mitsubishi i Concept
The i has a "rear-midship" engine mounted just ahead of the rear axle, a highly unusual configuration in a small car where front-engine design has dominated since the 1970s. The 3B20 three cylinder powerplant has an aluminium cylinder block, a displacement of 659 cubic centimetres, and incorporates double overhead camshafts with MIVEC variable valve timing in the cylinder head. Initially only an intercooled and turbocharged engine was offered, until a naturally aspirated version was introduced for 2007. A four-speed automatic gearbox transmits power to the rear or all four wheels, depending on specification.
Mitsubishi i Concept 2003 02
Mitsubishi SE RO Concept
Mitsubishi i Concept (2003) - Rear Angle
Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport Air
Mitsubishi SE RO Concept
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