Mitsubishi’s independent UK importer, the Colt Car Company, has decided to go ahead with imports of the tiny I K-class car currently on sale only in Japan.
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Gabi Whitfield, the company’s press and PR manager, told just-auto on Wednesday that Mitsubishi UK was in the final stages of price negotiations with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and was hopeful of a go-ahead in about three weeks.
“We’re 99% there,” she said. “If we go ahead, the car should go on sale next June or July.”
The stylish little five-door ‘Kei-car’ with 660cc, rear-mounted engine, will retail in the UK with one single “loaded” specification for GBP8,999, Whitfield added.
It will not be imported into mainland Europe – the car was designed only for the right-hand drive Japanese domestic market.
As it has done with previous low-volume models, Mitsubishi UK will import a Japanese-specification i model and modify each at the port of entry to meet UK/EU regulations (adding a rear fog lamp, for example) under the provisions of the UK’s single vehicle type approval programme which allows small numbers of cars to be imported without fully complying with every detail of the EC safety and emissions regulations.
Japan has strict emissions and safety laws of its own and a full complement of safety items such as airbags and anti-lock brakes can be expected as standard on the UK-specification i.
Graeme Roberts
