Nissan Sakura EV enters Japan’s kei-car market

Nissan has unveiled a tiny electric city car, the Sakura, as a new entrant in its home market in Japan.

Named for the unofficial national flower of Japan, known locally as cherry blossoms, the Sakura enters the ‘kei’ segment, which comes with a legal requirement that eligible vehicles be built under a certain size and – per the latest version of the rules – with power outputs no greater than 47kW.

As a kei car, the Sakura is properly tiny, with its length of 3395mm and width of 1475mm making it markedly smaller than the already diminutive Fiat 500 (3546mm long, 1627mm wide).

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On the styling front, the Sakura takes its cues from Nissan’s new Australia-bound Ariya electric SUV, with those design elements seemingly thrown into a flower press (ironic…) to create the extra-narrow shape expected of kei cars.

As required, the 1070kg Sakura produces 47kW, with its electric motor also developing 195Nm of torque. Driving range is listed at 180 kilometres, delivered thanks to a 20kWh battery pack. Nissan says the Sakura can also provide a full day of power (depending on usage) to a home if needed.

In Japan, the Sakura will be priced from the equivalent of $26,000 – about as much as an Abarth 595 in Australia.

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Will we see the Nissan Sakura in Australia?

As with most kei cars, the tiny Sakura would likely be deemed ill-suited to the needs of Australian buyers, who generally require more interior space, more power, more range and, well, a jacked-up SUV body.

Do you think the Sakura could sell well in Australia? Tell us below.

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