Mitsubishi Pistachio

The Mitsubishi Pistachio was a three-door hatchback that Mitsubishi Motors introduced in December 1999 on the platform of its Minica kei car, built as a very small run of fuel-economy demonstrators. Only 50 were sold, in Citron Yellow or Loire Green and priced at 959,000 yen, to local authorities and public corporations working to protect the environment. It used a 1,094 cc DOHC 16-valve 4A31 engine rated at 54 kW with gasoline direct injection and an Automatic Stop-Go system that switched the engine off when the car stood still and restarted it when the clutch was pressed. With a kerb weight of 700 kilograms, slim 135/80R13 tyres, electric power steering, aluminium wheels, bonnet and seatbacks, a stainless steel exhaust manifold and thin glass, it recorded 3.33 litres per 100 kilometres, which the article calls unprecedented for an exclusively gasoline-powered vehicle.