2023 Nissan Sakura Will Steal City Dwellers' Hearts

Nissan was among the first brands to jump on the EV bandwagon. The Leaf was an unexpected all-electric Japanese-made compact car. As of late, however, the Leaf isn't very popular with customers. Sales have remained in a downtrend, and, sadly, no changes are coming for the 2024 model-year unit.

For Americans and Europeans, Nissan's next step forward regarding all-electric vehicles came as the Ariya crossover. It's a good-looking vehicle that wants a slice of this very popular segment. One slightly modified unit is even traveling from the North Pole to the South Pole at the time of writing!

But what Nissan's hiding from all of us is the Sakura. If you're not a fan of the brand, don't worry – Mitsubishi has its own version that's out and about. It's called the eK X EV. That's one futuristic name. But it fits this lightweight vehicle that doesn't have a large carbon footprint when leaving the factory.

No matter what you may want to call it, this type of car proves that we need cheap EVs. The Sakura costs around $16,500 in Japan. It was such a wild success last year that Nissan had to tell people not to order one anymore. The brand simply wasn't ready for how well the mini-vehicle was received.

Could this be our future?

In 2022, around 77,000 EVs were sold in the land of the rising sun. Over 23,000 of them were Sakuras. That's just how popular a vehicle like this can be in today's world. It's also proof that Citroen and Fiat weren't wrong in releasing the Ami and Topolino quadricycles over the pond.

Looking like a tiny version of an Aryia-styled minivan, this kei car measures 133.9 inches in length, 54.3 inches in width, and is 65.3 inches tall. It boasts a wheelbase of 98.4 inches, which is made possible by the small… Everything! By any American standards, the Sakura is a tiny, tiny vehicle.

This cute car has a 20-kWh battery pack, which is 4 kWh less than what the first-generation Leaf came with. The energy storage unit is even smaller than something you'd find on a plug-in hybrid X5! It's also not very fast when it comes to sucking electrons from the grid - it charges from 10% to 80% in around 40 minutes.

Despite being this small, Nissan added the vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality to this car. If the power runs out, it can help the average household keep the lights on for around a day.

The average Japanese car owner drives around 2,485 mi in a year. That's less than a Cannonball run in the US. Thus, the Sakura's 112-mile range isn't something that truly matters to the targeted buyers. The autonomy may vary because the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC) is more permissive than what the Environmental Protection Agency is doing in the US.

Great use of space

One great thing about EVs is that you can maximize cabin space relatively quickly. In Sakura's case, the short overhangs and the wheel arches immediately make you think about the typical skateboard platform most automakers use today. This solution allows the manufacturer to stretch the distance between the wheels, which, in turn, makes the interior roomier.

But since we're talking about a small city car, it's worth noting that it doesn't have much luggage space. If you want to go shopping with the Sakura, leave the second row free. The trunk can accommodate just 3.7 cu-ft of stuff.

Another cool thing the Sakura makes obvious is how the automaker tried to give it the best balance possible by positioning the wheels as outward as it could. Combine that with the battery put in the floor, and owners won't have any issues with spirited driving or strong winds.

But besides maximized cabin room in a small car, "mini motoring" has a plethora of selling points in Japan. Owners pay cheaper sales and road taxes, don't have to prove that they own (or rent) a dedicated parking space, spend less on charging, and maintenance is overall more budget-friendly.

It may not seem like much to those used to the American (and even European) car culture, but this is highly unusual in Japan. The country does not subsidize cars as we do. Moreover, driving is a privilege in the Asian country.

On average, people pay $22 for every 62 miles of driving they do with full-size cars. It's not surprising that over there, people are more inclined to use public transportation or bicycles.

Simple, fun, cute

But probably the best thing about kei cars it's their post-tax selling price – if you want something with a smaller price tag, you should look for non-motorized vehicles.

Nissan may not enjoy Tesla's levels of automotive success, but it knows its home market. Even though it wasn't quite ready for the high demand, it anticipated some interest from Japanese people living in dense urban areas like Tokyo or Osaka. As such, to make the kei car even more appealing, it has given buyers 15 color options. Four of them are a little more special because they were inspired by the four seasons – spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Driving the Sakura is fun and easy. The person behind the wheel has three driving modes and a one-pedal function that can slow down brake wear and minimize brake dust, a known pollutant. The seats have armrests and are wide and comfortable, while the interior boasts only the necessities. Among them are two screens – the 7-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and the digital 9-inch dashboard.

Nissan decided to go for a clean look, and instead of buttons, it has added a touchscreen for the climate control panel. But put the A/C on auto, and you'll rarely have to interact with it.

Combining the Leaf expertise with Aryia styling resulted in a great vehicle that will make roads less crowded. But would something like work in the US? Most likely, the answer is no. People's daily commute could more often than not be longer than the Sakura's range on a full charge.

Nonetheless, it's a fantastic vehicle that truly makes environmentalists and non-car people happy. Sakura's photo would go very well next to the "less is more" expression in a pictorial dictionary.

Will it become a valuable import in 25 years? Probably not. But is it great that it exists today? Definitely!