Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will begin selling plug-in electric vehicles in Japan by 2013 based on its Pajero sport utility vehicle and plans to extend sales to the United States and Europe, according to the newspaper Asahi Shimbun on Thursday.

Shares of the automaker climbed to the highest in nearly five months jumping 7.8 percent today.

Mitsubishi's plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) will be equipped with a gasoline engine which will generate electricity when the vehicle's battery dies, the paper noted without naming sources.

The PEV models will be displayed in autumn 2009 at the Tokyo Motor Show, the paper said.

The automaker will begin to sell its electric vehicle iMiEV based on a mini car, next month in Japan.

Japan