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Move over, Large Sedans. Compacts are the New It
Filed under: Miscellaneous, Compact
Do you remember that saying, “Good things come in small packages?” Well, the auto industry seems to have changed that to read, “Good things come in tiny packages.” And products from Nissan and Infiniti seem to bare that out.
The company is offering a host of tiny vehicles in all sorts of categories. There’s the Cube, the Micra, and the Note.
The Cube is a boxy van that resembles Honda’s Element but is much smaller. It is built on a platform that is shared with the Versa and weighs only around 2,240 pounds. It is powered by a 107 horsepower, 1.5 liter inline four.
The Micra measures less than 13 feet. It can be had with one of five different engines -- four gasoline types and one diesel. It is Nissan’s most popular car in Europe, with more than 80,000 were sold in 2007. Both the Cube and Micra are built on the Versa platform. Neither are sold in the U.S., though rumors are increasing that Nissan is giving serious consideration on the Cube.
Finally, the Note is a hatchback that is shorter than the Versa. Buyers of the Note have a choice of two engines -- a 110 horsepower, 1.6 liter four cylinder or a 103-horsepower, 1.5 liter turbodiesel.
Our take? We feel almost sorry for Nissan's upper management. On the one hand, American reception for smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles is, again, at an all-time high. On the other hand, profit on such vehicles is virtually nil. Worse, the current exchange between the dollar and yen compounds the issue.
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