Nissan Sakura the kei car arrives in Japan

In October 2019, Nissan was talking about the launch of an electric car in Japan with the IMk concept. Today, in May 2022, Nissan announces the arrival on the market of the production version, named after the Japanese cherry blossom – Sakura.

This will be the company’s entry-level model, both in terms of price and size. With a radius of steering of only 4.8 metersis ready to conquer the urban jungle, for now only in the chaotic Japanese cities.

As can be seen from the pictures, the car is small and boxy and looks a lot like the IMk concept. Characteristic are the circles that are modeled on Japanese Mizuhiki decorative knots. Since the Sakura was designed exclusively as kei car, must meet certain size specifications. It is therefore only 3,395 mm long, 1,475 mm wide and 1,655 mm high. Its wheelbase is 2,495mm, which is quite generous in relation to the overall length.

Nissan Sakura, kei car but spacious

This is possible thanks to a special platform for electric cars, where overhangs are reduced to a minimum and the distance between the axles is increased. All for the benefit of legroom inside the cabin. The length of the rear doors shows that the Nissan Sakura is a kei car, but still spacious.

It can carry up to four people e has a trunk volume of 107 liters. It is also one of the lightest electric cars on the market, weighing 1,070kg in the base configuration, while the more luxurious configuration weighs 10kg more.

The heart of the zero-emission kei car is an electric motor with a power of 64 hp (47 kW) and a pair of 195 Newton meters. Top speed is 130km / h, more than enough for the city, where the electric car will likely spend most of its time.

Nissan engineers have equipped the Sakura with a lithium-ion battery that, with a capacity of 20 kilowatt hours, offers enough power for a range of up to 180 kilometers. However, it should be noted that the interval refers to the cycle WLTC locale.

It is noteworthy that the battery can also be used as power bank to power a home for a whole day, provided that no more than 12kW is needed. This is the average energy consumption of a household in Japan. Once the battery light comes on, uA full charge takes eight hours. However, you can recharge the battery to 80% in 40 minutes.

While it’s not exactly the most powerful electric car on the market, the Sakura also has a Sport mode in addition to Standard and Eco. One pedal operation is possible thanks to regenerative braking by releasing the accelerator pedal.

At the same time, the Sakura is the first car of its kind that steers, accelerates, brakes, shifts and automatically applies the parking brake when parking, thanks to the ProPILOT Park system.

And to top it off, Nissan claims it has developed the quietest cab in the kei segment.

The Nissan Sakura will be available in Japan this summer in versions S, X e G and it will cost only 1.78 million yen (approximately € 13,200) for basic outfitting, taking into account local incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles.