TOKYO (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Motors Corp, the world's first automaker to mass-produce purely electric cars, launched a battery-run light commercial van on Thursday as it aims to keep the lead in expanding the use of niche zero-emissions vehicles.
The Japanese automaker has sold about 17,000 electric vehicles (EVs) globally so far, including those supplied under PSA Peugeot Citroen's brands, since the launch of the tiny i-MiEV in mid-2009.
Mitsubishi Motors said it also plans to supply the new electric Minicab-MiEV van to Suzuki Motor Corp from February 2012 in a move that it said would help lower costs through economies of scale.
