Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia Sdn Bhd head of marketing and product Shoen Saito said the price of the i-MiEV in Japan without government incentives ranged from RM150,000 to RM160,000.
"With government incentives, the price is reduced to about RM120,000."
As for the LEAF, its price tag is expected to be similar to that of a European C-segment hatchback, according to Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM) senior manager of product planning Denis Wong.
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According to Nissan, charging for the LEAF's battery takes about 6.5 to eight hours on a standard 240V outlet. |
ETCM is the distributor of Nissan cars in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd general manager Reza Mutalib said there are plans to bring in Renault EVs namely the Zoe, Twizy and Fluence ZE in 2013.
TC Euro Cars, a subsidiary of Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd, is the exclusive distributor for Renault vehicles in Malaysia.
Saito, Wong and Reza were among the speakers at the EV Roundtable 2012, which was held at the Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur Hotel here.
The EV Roundtable 2012 is a platform for dissemination of information, networking, and exchange of ideas in the EV industry.
The programme was a collaboration between the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water and Malaysian Green Technology Corp.
The speakers at the programme also included Jobstreet.com Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Suresh Thiru, who was a LEAF ambassador for seven weeks in October and November.
Suresh said he found the LEAF to be extremely quiet and it "has tremendous pick-up".
He also noted that he experienced "range anxiety" as the LEAF has a travel range of 140km to 160km in eco-mode, and some planning was required for long distance trips.
Suresh also pointed out that for consumers to adopt new technology, education was important.
"Unless we educate consumers about the benefits of EVs, then the take-up for such vehicles will be low."
Meanwhile, Wong said 80% of drivers do not travel more than 100km in a typical day.
"So, the LEAF's travel range is all right."
Participants at the programme also pointed out that it was still early days for the EV sector in this region, as there is a lack of EV charging infrastructure, government incentives for EVs and awareness among consumers about the benefits of such vehicles.
