Nissan’s latest electric car won’t give Lucid a sleepless night with its range… but that’s not really the point.
The Nissan Sakura This is for the Japanese market only, and combines the styling inspired by the Aria SUV with the compact van ratio. Nissan says it has a 4.8-meter curve; A Fiat 500 has a claimed turning circle of 9.3 meters.
Not only does its compact ratio (3395 mm long, 1475 mm wide and 1655 mm long, with a 2495 mm wheelbase) create a Tokyo-friendly turning circle, meaning Sakura fits Japan’s Kei car class.
That means it is cheaper to insure and register than a conventional car. It is a car class that is unique to Japan, and was introduced after World War II to encourage manufacturers to build affordable new cars.
Underneath the skin is an electric motor that produces 47kW of power and 195Nm of torque, paired with a 20kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is good for the 180km claimed by the generous Japanese test cycle.
Prices for the Sakura start at the equivalent of $ 25,800 in Japan and extend to $ 32,500 for the range-topping model.
Inside, Sakura shows a scale-down version of Aria’s interior. The driver faces a 7.0-inch instrument binoculars, while the central display is a 9.0-inch unit with wireless Apple CarPlay.
Nissan’s partner, Mitsubishi, will also offer a version of Sakura in Japan. Dubbed eK X EVIt is built on the same bone as the Nissan, and offers the same claimed driving range.
Beyond that though, it has a smaller version of the Dynamic Shield face that is featured across the brand’s SUV range.
Mitsubishi has previously teased the car, the successor to the 2009 i-MiEV electric car. It even claims 47kW of power and 180Nm of torque.
However, contrary to the 180km claim proposed by the eK X EV, the i-MiEV was good for 160km on Japanese bikes.