A whole herd of intriguing small cars is on the horizon.

2010 Mitsubishi i-MiEV

On sale: Sometime in 2010

Mitsubishi lists the i-MiEV as a 2010 model car, but so far nothing official besides "it's coming" has been announced; we don't even know if it'll keep the name "i-MiEV" (the smart money says it won't). Still, we can glean a few details from information available for the Japanese version. It offers a 63-hp electric motor powering the rear wheels, and an eco-mode that dials back that power to 43 hp for extra range. That range, incidentally, is somewhere around 100 miles in "ideal conditions," so expect about half that in real-world conditions with the air conditioner blowing, etc. One of the coolest things is that in addition to 120- and 240-volt charging, Mitsubishi is developing a quick-charge system that will replenish 80 percent of the i-MiEV's charge in 30 minutes.