Nissan Kills European cube

Japanese manufacturer Nissan has recently decided to pull the plug on the European cube production, with the model to be withdrawn from all markets across the Old Continent. The reason behind the decision is the exchange ratio between the Yen and the EURO which, according to WhatCar?, minimized Nissan's profit on the cube to a minimum.

The parent company doesn't rule out the possibility to import the cube into Europe in the future but even so, Nissan officials hinted that such a scenario is unlikely to take shape in the future.

A similar decision was announced in October 2010 but, at that time, the move only concerned the British market. At that time, the Japanese brand explained that the slow sales the cube was posting in the local market were the main reason for this. Nissan intended to sell around 2,000 cubes in the United Kingdom but, until October, only 686 units found a buyer in the country.

The cube will continue to be offered in the United States however and Nissan recently announced pricing and equipment trim levels for the 2011 version of the car. For model year 2011, the entry level Cube, the 1.8, will be selling starting from $14,290. Nissan will offer the Cube in the aforementioned 1.8 version, as well as in 1.8 S (priced at $15,650) and 1.8 SL (priced at $17,750). All are powered by a 1.8l DOHC 4 cylinder engine which develops 122 horsepower. The engine can be paired to either a manual or an automatic transmission.