October's Paris Motor Show will be the stage for Nissan to unveil their new Nuvu concept, an electric 2+1 micro-car that would compete with the Toyota iQ if the automaker rolls it out. At less than ten feet long, the Nuvu will be about the same size as a smart fortwo, but powered solely by a battery. There are two main seats and an extra seat for a third passenger. According to Nissan, there is "sufficient space for a typical supermarket or shopping expedition". Demonstrating Nissan's commitment to EV technology, and their environmentally-conscience green side, the Nuvu's all-glass roof is covered with solar panels placed in the pattern of leaves on a tree. The "trunk" of the tree is the conduit feeding the power to the battery. Nissan hasn't released pictures of their newest EV, but we promise full details and a gallery when we see it in person next month.
Countries like China and India are a hotbed for the auto industry, and every major automaker is looking to improve its standing in the emerging markets while they're still on the ground floor. Low-cost micro cars are all the rage in the East, and Nissan/Renault is looking into getting a piece of that action by producing a Nano fighter. Nissan Motor India Director Neeraj Garg told The Times of India that while higher priced sedans and SUVs are also scheduled for India's booming auto market, a low-priced hatch is also on the wishlist if the pricing is right.
Company officials say that the low-cost transportation could be among six new products scheduled for India by 2012, and with the country's low-cost labor, Nissan/Renault could also export any vehicles it makes there.
Let's just get this out of the way right now: this blogger is going to buy one of these cars when they come to America. And I'm a die-hard 385-plus-horsepower sports car owner for years now. And I live in LA. But the Cube is just that great. So Nissan, don't pull a bait-and-switch, please...
The Cube is basic, and makes no attempt to dress it up. In fact, not only is the car not gussied up, but the entire interior of the car I drove was beige. And it was still hot. It's basic done completely right, with tons of cubbies and comfort in an enormous (relatively speaking) cabin and a unified design theme inside and outside that ties it all together.
The 1.5-liter, 107-HP engine has got the giddy-up-and-go, and the car is so much fun to drive that you'll cackle like an old hen every time you throw it around a corner. I admit I won't be buying one in sky blue, and it won't have the third row -- that row is more than a bit optimistic -- but I will have no problem showing everyone I know that "cool" is now spelled "cube."
