TOKYO -- The Tokyo auto show has changed its name to the Japan Mobility Show but visiting the six halls of the Big Sight exhibition complex, one thing is clear: Japan has rediscovered battery-electric cars.
Japan is not a electric cars newcomer. The first global mass-produced BEV was the Nissan Leaf that went on sale in 2010.
Meanwhile, a the Mitsubishi i-MiEV minicar, a low-volume predecessor to the Leaf, was launched for fleet customers in Japan in 2009. It was exported to Europe and also sold as the Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn.