Click above for a high-res gallery of the Japan-spec 2008 Nissan Cube

The Nissan Cube is coming to the U.S. next Spring, and we'll get our first look at the U.S.-spec car when it makes its debut at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show. I recently had the opportunity to drive a Japanese-market edition for four days, and it's a very neat little car. Driving the JDM vehicle also illustrates how differently small Japanese cars are set up depending on their target market. Is the Cube an economy car? In Japan, it would certainly qualify, boasting a fuel economy rating of 16 km/l (some 37 mpg U.S.) according to the country's 10-15 mode test cycle. That's basically the combined cycle, and the test is done at low speeds. For Japan, where there's plenty of urban driving and road congestion, it probably serves as a fair indicator of what drivers will experience. For us, not so much. Read on after the jump.


All photos Copyright ©2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

PHOTO: Scott Jacobs / INSIDE LINE

It had to happen, given the fundamental laws of nature governing rivalries: Inside Line has done a playful side-by-side comparison of the Nissan Cube and the Scion xB. JDM-spec Cube did not fare exactly well against the US-market Scion (which it won't compete directly against, anyway). The Nissan's 1.4L four is perfectly adequate for the crowded streets of Tokyo but is taxed on American roads, as the Cube takes 13.8 seconds to go from 0 to 60. Based on Inside Line's impressions, a quarter mile run down the drag strip might well be measurable in the amount of beard growth you experience along the way. To be fair, one could easily argue that the quarter-mile time of a runabout like Nissan Cube is about as relevant to its target audience as the off-roading capabilities of the Chevy Corvette are to its prospective buyers. Still, when compared directly to the Cube, Inside Line finds the Scion better-suited to handle the average American's daily driving needs without relying on wide-open throttle as often as possible. That last bit manifests itself at the pump as Inside Line only squeezed around 22 mpg out of Nissan's microcar.

Aesthetically, Inside Line notes that the Cube's funky, asymmetric style makes the larger Scion xB look normal by comparison. Inside, the itsy bitsy Nissan provides flexibility in terms of passenger and cargo-carrying capacity, and it has some neat, thoughtful features like a coat rack in the rear storage compartment. Still, Inside Line feels that an eventual US-market Cube (there could be an announcement made next month in New York) would have to grow in size and power to better fit in, much like the '08 xB is larger than its predecessor. Sure, not everyone likes the fact that the 2nd-gen xB got bigger (us included), but when the Cube arrives, it'll have a clean slate since Americans won't have a prior model to compare it against. Assuming Nissan delivers a US-spec Cube that doesn't lose the the current car's quirky Japanese charm and delivers good fuel economy, the xB's gonna have a real fight on its hands in a couple of years. Read Inside Line's comparo in full here.


[Source: Inside Line]

Shiro Nakamura, Nissan's global design director says "the Cube is coming to the U.S. market." The Cube gets 37 MPG and has something called e-4WD, which includes an electric motor that kicks in when you need it. The Cube is already out in Japan (see wacky Japanese commercial below the fold) and there were rumors it might come to the U.S. Now that it's confirmed, I wonder who needs the Scion xB? Well, Nissan has said they don't intend to compete with the Scion xB. To that I say, "Yeah right, whatever dude." Look out for the Cube's U.S. release in late 2008 or, more likely, early 2009.

[Source: Auto Spies, LA Times]

The Nissan Cube and Scion xB may both look like the boxes they came in, but Nissan doesn't expect their car to compete directly with the larger Scion when it arrives in the United States in early 2009. Nissan vice president of product planning Larry Dominique expects the market for the Cube to be more balanced between male and female buyers than the xB, a vehicle that has grown significantly larger in it's second generation. More than likely the Cube will be competing more directly with the new xD which is closer in size to the Nissan. Regardless of which vehicles it competes with, seeing more small cars like this coming the US market is a good thing.

[Source: Wards Auto World]

As gas prices hit $3.60 a gallon in southeast Michigan this week the coming onslaught of mini-cars appears to be growing. The latest to jump into the fray appears to be Nissan with plans to bring over three minis from Japan starting in the second half of 2008. First out the chute should be the redesigned version of the Cube which has been on sale in the Japan for several years already.

According the Japanese paper Nikkei, at least one of the minis is likely to be priced under $10,000. The new Cube is evidently being designed for sales in North America and possibly Europe in addition to Asia. We already know that Ford is bringing the US a model based on the Mazda2, GM will likely bring out a model based on one of the Triplets and Chrysler is trying to finalize a deal with Chery to produce a small car in China. With Smart, and possibly Toyota in the mix, we will have all kinds of choices in the next couple of years.

[Source: MotorAuthority]