Mitsubishi eK X could revolutionise electric vehicle market

A leading car maker and EV pioneer is testing a budget hatchback in Australia, with a view to shaking up the new vehicle market.

Mitsubishi is going back to the future with a new electric car.

The Japanese brand was the first major manufacturer to offer an electric car in Australia, launching the i-MiEV in 2010.

The egg-shaped hatchback was a pioneer, combining tiny dimensions with a 47kW motor and about 120 kilometres of range for about $50,000.

It promised a glimpse of what motoring would look like in decades to come.

But it was also a commercial disaster, so the brand is treading carefully with its spiritual successor, the Mitsubishi eK X.

Built to a special set of rules for Japan’s tiny “Kei cars”, the little eK X (pronounced Eee-kay cross, not Eck-ex) is not allowed to have large dimensions or a powerful motor.

The refrigerator look is a result of engineers using every last millimetre of space available to them, pushing the car out to all eight corners of a cube-like box set out in Japanese law.

Mitsubishi is trialling the car in Australia to gauge customer reaction. Picture: Supplied.

The same goes for its 47kW, 195Nm motor; they are the maximum outputs allowed in Japan.

Mitsubishi’s general manager of marketing and product strategy, Oliver Mann, is riding shotgun with me in the specially imported car.

“We’re not selling the car today,” he says.

“But we are wanting to gauge the market and understand the level of interest and acceptance for a little EV like the eK X. It’s been really positive.”

Electric vehicle supporters and small-car fans have said sweet things about the eK X, a machine that shapes up as a modern successor to the Smart car.

Dealers represent a more difficult sell.

Ruthlessly driven by the bottom line, they were burnt by the experience of trying to sell tiny electric cars for the price of a V8 Holden more than a decade ago.

Mitsubishi was an EV pioneer, launching the i-MiEV small car in 2010. Picture: RICHARDSON CAMERON.

The vast majority of car companies have shifted away from tiny runabouts. You can’t buy a Honda Jazz, Ford Fiesta, VW Up, Hyundai i20 or Renault Clio any more.

But Mann believes baby cars will have their time again.

“Escalating motoring costs, urban congestion and now emissions controls coming in the future are paving the way for little city cars with EV powertrains such as this,” he says.

“Personally I think there’s a point in time when these will play a significant role in the Australian car market.

“At what point that is, we don’t exactly know.”

Mitsubishi believes cost of living pressures could spawn a new generation of small city runabouts. Picture: Supplied.

Mitsubishi is targeting a sub-$30,000 business case for the little EV, should it go on sale.

It has some of the features buyers should expect from a modern machine, including a touchscreen with smartphone mirroring.

There’s more room than you might expect – particularly in the staggeringly spacious back seat – and the compact dimensions make it easy to park.

This is a zero-fuss car for folks who need a set of wheels for zipping around town.

Phone booth styling results in outstanding visibility in traffic. Low speed manoeuvring is a doddle – it’s like parking a shopping trolley.

The Mitsubishi eK X is surprisingly quick off the mark given its tiny motor. Picture: Supplied.

Acceleration is perky, helped by the instant torque from its electric motor.

Our brief urban drive didn’t involve high-speed cornering or a motorway run, but it was clear that this is a car best suited to metropolitan life.

It’s quite noisy at more than 60km/h and I wouldn’t like to be inside an eK X on a motorway with strong cross winds.

The value equation will be difficult to get right as larger, more powerful and practical Chinese electric cars creep ever closer to Mitsubishi’s $30,000 target price, and a five-star safety rating is out of the question.

It misses out on features such as a centre airbag, and it’s just too small.

But Mitsubishi still believes there is a large opportunity surrounding its littlest car.

MITSUBISHI EK X

PRICE About $30,000 drive-away (not on sale)

MOTOR 47kW and 195Nm

RANGE 180km

SPARE Repair kit