This is one of my favorite new cars, and is especially dazzling as the Sport, a concept two-door fastback coupe (the one they won't actually build, of course). The four-door i-MIEV, with a 47-kilowatt motor and a 16 kilowatt-hour battery pack, can reach 81 mpg and has a 75-mile range on a charge. Three driving modes include Standard, Eco (which limits battery output to a third of peak power and makes it as poky as a slug) and "B," with more aggressive regenerative braking for faster recharges. The i-MIEV is on sale in Japan, but the only examples in the U.S. are in utility fleets. The car was to be imported for a special pilot program in Iceland, but that was before the meltdown. A North American release is seriously contemplated, however.
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