This $15,000 Nissan Kei Automobile Is Japan’s Greatest-Promoting EV

• The Nissan Sakura is an all-electric Kei automobile.
• It is simply 11 toes lengthy and weighs beneath 2,400 lbs, with a beginning worth of round $15,000.
• The Sakura has grow to be Japan’s best-selling EV, however Nissan is not promoting it wherever else… but.

There is a purpose Individuals appear more and more fascinated with Japanese Kei autos: It is superb to see small automobiles profitable. The previous 20 years have seen Individuals fully scorn something small, low-cost and easy, shifting in the direction of ever-bigger, ever-more “premium” choices. That is why our three best-selling EVs are all made by Tesla, a premium model that claims to be an AI firm first. Certainly one of them begins at $80,000. In Japan, issues are completely different. The most effective-selling EV is a $15,000 metropolis automobile from Nissan.

The Nissan Sakura is a “Kei” car, a Japanese designation for autos that meet strict dimension, energy and engine displacement guidelines. Which means its energy is capped—like all Kei autos—at 63 hp, and size is capped at 11 toes, 2 inches. So the Sakura is about 11 toes lengthy, 4.8 toes broad and 5.4 toes tall. 

It weighs slightly below 2,400 lbs, with a 20.0-kWh battery that permits it to go 111 miles on a cost. Word that is a WLTP determine, which tends to be much more beneficiant than the EPA cycle used within the U.S. It might probably cost from 10-80% in about 20 minutes, although, so you possibly can replenish vary rapidly. There’s even vehicle-to-load performance for powering exterior electronics. 

26

The Sakura can also be tremendous nimble and tremendous low-cost. Its turning circle is simply 15 toes, and costs begin round $15,000 at present trade charges, with well-optioned examples near $20,000. You will get it in 15 completely different coloration schemes, with two-tone choices that add some spunk. It seems cheerful and enjoyable, and Japanese consumers do not appear to look down on small automobiles the way in which Individuals do. 

That is made the Sakura a profitable proposition. Our reviewer appreciated it when he drove it again in 2023, and a new video from AutoTrader U.Ok. appears to agree. Host Rory Reid—previously of Prime Gear fame—calls it “pleasant.” No surprise Nissan bought 37,140 of them in Japan final yr, per Wards Auto, accounting for almost half of all EV gross sales within the nation. The corporate needed to cease taking orders at one level as a result of demand was so sturdy.  

Reid argues that the Sakura might win some hearts and minds within the U.Ok. or Europe, however that dialog is solely theoretical. Nissan solely sells the Sakura in Japan, and has no plans to broaden it for now. It is no shock that it will not come to the U.S. Tiny, 63-hp Kei automobiles will not be nice for America’s highway-heavy infrastructure, and automobiles with beneath 100 miles of EPA vary have sometimes faired poorly right here. Plus, even the town automobiles higher suited to American highways—together with the Honda Match, Mitsubishi Mirage and Ford Fiesta—have all been killed off right here.

We do not deserve the Sakura. However Europe does. Reid is correct that there is a actual alternative for Nissan to win over some consumers there. It is unlikely to be the kind of smashing success it’s in Japan, however Europe has a notable urge for food for metropolis automobiles, and Nissan has a notable dearth of thrilling merchandise. It is lastly bought a winner in its hand, now it simply must double down.

Contact the writer: [email protected].