Nissan Sakura — the future of urban mobility: What makes this electric Kei Car so special?
Small, practical, ecological and not available in Europe - this is the Nissan Sakura. This electric car of the kei car segment won the hearts of automotive journalists from all over the world, although it can only be purchased in Japan. What is the secret of his success? What makes Nissan Sakura the future of mobility on our continent?
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Kei cars have been around in Japan since the 1940s. This segment was formed after the Second World War and is regulated by law. The small Nissan fits into this category because of its dimensions. Although it will probably never go outside Japan, it was tested by, among others, European and even Polish automotive journalists.
Before we tell more about the Sakura model, it is worth explaining what kei car class cars are. It sShort for kei-jidoshawhich can be translated as a light car. The first designs of this type appeared already in 1948, they had small dimensions and initially engines of only 150 cm3. The idea was to allow the Japanese to easily move around the country at a low cost to stimulate the economy.
Nowadays kei cars are still very popular and the Japanese market is full of interesting models from this category. This is due to the architecture of Japanese cities, which are full of narrow streets, where even a compact car can have trouble passing.
Also read: What is kei car and why is it so popular in Japan?
theirs owners can also count on a lower tax when buying It is 2 percent of the value of the car, instead of 3 percent as in the case of larger cars. In Japan, there is also a tax on the weight of the car and in the case of kei cars, the fee is 13.2 thousand yen for 3 years or 8.8 thousand yen for 2 years, while owners of larger cars pay 18.9 and 12.6 thousand yen respectively.
At the very beginning, kei car class cars could have a length of up to 2800 mm, a width of up to 1000 mm, a height of up to 2000 mm and an engine with a capacity of 100 to 150 cm3. Latest technical requirements for kei car were specified in 1998. The car can be a maximum of 3400 mm in length, 1480 mm in width and 2000 mm in height. The maximum engine capacity is 660 cm3, and the maximum power is 64 hp. In addition, automakers have agreed to limit the maximum speed to 140 km/h.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that the height requirements have remained unchanged since the very beginning of the existence of this category of vehicles. This may be due to the fact that the government wants to discourage manufacturers from compensating for length and width by increasing the height. Then the cars would look caricatured and could simply begin to roll over, even in the softest bends.
Electric cars are becoming more and more popular all over the world. Electrification has not missed the kei car class either, the best example of which is the Nissan Sakura, which was presented in 2022. The car is produced in partnership with Mitsubishi, which offers the eK X EV model. Both cars won the title of Japan Car of the Year in 2022 and 2023, with a total of more than 59,000 Sakura models sold in those years.
In the car is electric motor with a capacity of 47 kW, which is equivalent to 64 hp in the case of internal combustion engines. So Nissan decided to aim for the upper ceiling of the power limits. Simultaneously the mass of the car is only 1070 or 1080 kg depending on the version of the equipment. The maximum torque is 195 Nm.
20 kWh battery provides a range of 180 km (according to WLTC measurements). Charging from 0 to 80% at the charging station takes only 40 minutes. Charging time to full from a household outlet is up to 8 hours. The car supports V2L technology and its battery can even serve as a replacement for a generator when the house runs out of power.
The engine has 3 operating modes — Eco, Standard and Sport. Thanks to the e-Pedal system used for the first time in the Leaf, the driver can brake by reducing the pressure on the gas pedal, which by the way allows the battery to be recharged by recuperative braking.
The strength of kei cars is that although they are small in size, more than one compact car could envy them legroom for the driver and passengers. It is no different with the Nissan Sakura. At the same time, it has a lot of storage and trunk with a capacity of 107 l, which can be enlarged by moving the rear sofa forward.
There are two displays in the car. The first has a diagonal of 7 inches and is used to display information about the car and mileage. The second is a screen with a diagonal of 9 inches, located in the central part of the console. Today Navigation, support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and call for help in the event of a crash or accident.
Nissan Sakura is offered in three trim levels, and each of them has many color options. The most is in the most expensive version with the designation G, where the buyer can also count on a leather-trimmed steering wheel and wheels with a diameter of 15 inches.
Although the car looks innocent, it uses advanced driver assistance systems, among which are adaptive cruise control with traffic jam and lane keeping assistant. It also has automatic parking system ProPilot Park.
For a new car you have to pay from 2,559,300 to 3,082,200 yen, i.e. from approx. 68.8 to approx. PLN 82.8 thousand. The Japanese can also count on subsidies for the purchase of electricians, as well as additional bonuses in the form of lower taxes when registering and using the vehicle.
If you are interested in Nissan Sakura, you are probably wondering what it looks like Importing a car from Japan. First of all you need to know that you cannot import new, unregistered cars that do not have European approval. Therefore, you are left with the search in the secondary market. Here it is best to use the help of professionals.
IN Sakura Motors we comprehensively deal with the search and purchase of a car, safely bringing it to Europe and delivering it to the indicated address. We also help with the fees and formalities at the port and the preparation of the car for registration in Poland. It all starts with a phone call or a meeting at our company headquarters, where we will jointly determine your needs and budget.
Nissan Sakura has everything it takes to become a sales hit among city cars. The Japanese loved it so much that the manufacturer had to stop accepting orders at some point, because there were too many to keep up with production. Compact dimensions, a powerful engine, low weight, a powerful battery, a practical interior and the latest driver assistance systems are the ingredients of Nissan's recipe for success.
