Mitsubishi Motors' i-MiEV awarded with the "Environment Special Grand Prize" at the 25th International Automobile Festival in Paris

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has announced that its new -generation electric vehiclei-MiEV has been awarded with the "Environment Special Grand Prize" during the 25th International Automobile Festival held in Paris, France on February 4, 2010.

The i-MiEV was selected amongst 4 nominees each representing "concrete projects for sustainable mobility in terms of environmental protection or security" by a panel of 18 design, fashion, automotive and media luminaries.

As commented by Kiyoshi Teshima, President of Mitsubishi Motors France - who received the award on behalf of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation: "This Grand Prize is a great honor and is a further incentive for our engineers to continue pursuing Mitsubishi Motors' pioneering work in promotion of popularization of alternative powertrains."

In Japan, the i-MiEV has already been on the market since July 2009 whilst production of export left-hand-drive version will start in October 2010. With zero CO2 tailpipe emissions and minimal well-to-wheel generation of CO2, MMC's i-MiEV makes a valuable contribution to climate protection.

The i-MiEV is planned for European launch in the end of 2010, and its charging system will be compatible with European 220/240V household outlets, providing for a zero-to-full charge within an estimated maximum seven hours.

Since it was established in 1986, the International Automobile Festival has wished to promote the talents of designers, artists, men and women who are at the forefront of developments in the automobile industry.