Now I’m excited

One of the great things about doing this blog is seeing the cars of the future. When I was a kid growing up around Detroit my friends and I used to keep mental notes on which of the new cars we’d see on the streets each season. We actually played baseball next to the railroad tracks that hauled in frames to Ford plants, and new cars would exit the city on those same rails. We’d see them by the hundreds leaving the plants as we played the greatest game ever…ah, baseball and cars, a little boys dream.

Now that I’m kinda grown up it is a thrill to witness all the changes coming in the world of cars. One that I like from it’s styling cues is the iMiEV from Mitsubishi. I love the bubbled futuristic lines of this electric concept, and have watched the news it has generated. Most of that news has been about the car being tested in Europe and Asia—alas, it seemed that my dream car may never make it to our shores.

Today, at the New York Auto Show, Mitsubishi officially announced that their iMiEV will indeed be introduced to America, but likely under a different name. Details have been sketchy, but AutoBlog Green is reporting that the car should be on sale here before 2012. Europeans can expect to see the iMiEV in 2011, but Mitsubishi is only slating production at 20,000 units.

The main problem isn’t making the car, it’s the batteries. GS Yuasa can not manufacture that much to keep up with those minor production levels even in Japan. My guess is that, if the car get as much sales momentum as it is getting in positive press, then Mitsubishi will turn to other sources and fill the demand. Until then I for one will grab my old baseball glove, have a catch with the kids, and dream of the old days again.