The Citroen C-Zero – Peugeot iOn – Mitsubishi i-MIEV triplets were launched in 2010 as an electric alternative for the city traffic.
It was easy to drive, offered a decent range and enough interior room.

The iON started its life as a kei-car in Japan as a Mitsubishi. But the Japanese car-manufacture needed to sell it in Europe and needed a helping hand, which came from the PSA (Peugeot-Citroen group). And so, there were three versions of the same vehicle.

The exterior styling was weird for its class. The wheels were pushed outside as far as it was possible. The front overhang was shorter than most of the cars on the market and so were the rear wheels. The egg-shaped vehicle was built for city traffic, with headlights placed as high as the legislation allowed, to save them in the event of a bumper-to-bumper meet and so were the taillights.

Inside, due to the big wheelbase for its size and its height, the iOn offered more than enough room for four adults. The width of the vehicle was not very generous. For the driver, there was a high seating position and two pedals. For cold winter days, there were heated seats and mirrors. The infotainment unit was mounted high on the dashboard, but it didn’t feature Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

The rear engine was hidden under the trunk floor. It was a quiet motor. Between the axles, under the cabin’s floor, there was the battery pack. It had around 90 miles (150 km) of range under ideal condition.