At a ceremony at the Mizushima Plant, MMC president Osamu Masuko stated: 'It has been 100 years since mass production of internal combustion-engine cars began. We have taken the first step into the next 100 years of the automobile with the i-MiEV. Today, we take the second step with production for the European market on the way to global rollout of electric vehicles. This is a big step for the automobile industry and at the same time signifies the beginning of e-mobility for Europe.'

Mitsubishi says it's planning to sell a total of 5,000 i-MiEV models during fiscal year 2010 including the models built for PSA Peugeot Citroen.

It plans to sell the i-MiEV in Europe in 14 countries including France, the United Kingdom, and Germany from this December.

The European-spec i-MiEV, in comparison to the Japanese version, contains some differences such as a different front and rear bumper design, added safety features as well as improved stability, as well as a re-arranged centre console.

Other differences include a different front and rear bumper design, added safety features such as Active Stability Control (ASC) system, new gear selection and an all-new left-hand-drive dashboard.

The European-spec i-MiEV also achieves a cruising range of 150km under the European NEDC2 driving pattern on one charge.