I, me, my - spoil yourself rotten

The i hatchback micro-car has been a great success in Japan, but Mitsubishi is still researching the New Zealand market.

The i hatchback micro-car has been a great success in Japan, but Mitsubishi is still researching the New Zealand market.

The lower case "i" stands for "myself" - it's Mitsubishi marketing-speak to remind people who buy its cute i hatchback micro-car that every time they get behind the wheel they are spoiling themselves rotten.

The little city-slicker has been a runaway success in Japan since it went on sale in January, but the market for micro-cars here is different and it's not known whether the car will make it to New Zealand.

Overseas, such cars sell to all age groups as funky, new-age transport. Here, says the research, they're largely restricted to oldies as shopping baskets.

Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand is studying buying trends to see if it can slot the fuel-thrifty i hatchback into the market, priced around $17,000 to $18,000, before the end of the year.

Says the company's marketing chief Peter Wilkins: "The i has been selling well in Japan but that's mostly to younger buyers. We have to establish whether older buyers in New Zealand will be just as attracted to the car.

"It's a wee bit of an issue but we think we can overcome it and get the right amount of volume and the right price. We are negotiating with Japan about the price right now."

The five-door i has design ties to DaimlerChrysler's micro-car Smart range, ongoing co-operation between Germany and Japan that began with platforms for the Mitsubishi Colt and Fourfor Smart.

It is powered by a three-cylinder 660cc turbocharged engine delivering 47kW at 6000rpm and 94Nm of torque at 3000rpm and mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox.

The engine drives the rear wheels and is mounted just forward of the rear axle, similar to the layout of the Smart FourTwo.

Most other micro-cars are driven by engines mounted in the front and driving the front wheels.

Mitsubishi says the rear-drive packaging gives the car a better ride/handling mix than rival front-drive micro models and frees up space in the front for improved crash protection. DaimlerChrysler says the same thing about the Smart FourTwo.

Mitsubishi briefly took the covers off the i in Auckland, but it couldn't be driven. It is now in Wellington, undergoing trials.

It rides on 15-inch wheels pushed right out to the corners. Its narrow four-seat cabin offers reasonable leg, shoulder and head room front and rear - for those who aren't built like the All Blacks tight five.

But for city-slickers who like shopping, the rear seatbacks are split 50/50 and fold flat to boost space in the tiny boot.