Back in November 2008, I wrote a post about Nissan's new Cube, a car that I really do like. However, it seems that it's too "Japanese" for the taste of Europeans. Only 686 Cubes have been sold during 2010 in UK, far below the target of 2000 units/year. This year, during the first nine months, 251 have been sold. In the Netherlands, sales so far this year are a dismal 107 units.
The current generation is the third one and in Japan the model has sold over 1 million units since its introduction in 1998. In terms of the US market, sales are hovering at a decent 20,000 units/year.
So, it's not hard to imagine that Nissan is seriously considering to axe the Cube from Europe for good.
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Original post
Including its supporting industries and ranging from engine manufacture to creating the interfaces between cars and people, the auto industry is involved in a very broad swathe of manufacturing, and it is a direct player in the effort to reduce carbon emissions. Japan is one of the world's top manufacturers in the industry, with eight different car makers and a home market where the car has become a familiar tool and an integral part of day-to-day life.
The most straightforward way to reduce the impact of cars on the environment is to make smaller cars. Simplicity is the starting point for Japanese aesthetics, and Japan has a distinct category of mini-vehicles—also known as light cars, kei cars, or micro-cars.
Japanese culture has made huge strides in Europe and US over the past decade: manga, anime, Evos, WRXs and GT-Rs, sushi. But what about Japanese car design and, in particular, Japan's peculiar fascination with the car as a box? Space, utility and all the simple logic of a packing crate were some of the defining factors behind the creation. That and the ability to carry family and/or friends around in a roomy, comfy, five/seven seat cabin.
The Cube was conceived around the concept of 'my room'. Spend any time in Japan and you find you never really have enough space, whether at home, on the tube, in shops, on the street, wherever.
“There are many reasons why boxy designs are popular in Japan,” says Shiro Nakamura, vice-president of Nissan design and ultimate styling boss.
“The first is functionality: the desire to make full use of limited available space” (In Japan, the logic is that square is the best shape for packing the most stuff in).
“Then there's emotion: many customers in this market are not looking for "speed" in design but something more moderately paced,” adds Nakamura.
Let's not forget, meantime, that many Japanese simply love the rationality of square designs. When you look at a typical Japanese urban street with its many tall, flat-sided buildings, square windows and signs, aesthetically, these boxy cars fit right in.
That's why the Cube looks the way it does with very few curves to its outer panels and that brilliant asymmetrical back door as that further renegade touch. According to Stephen Clemenger, a British designer in Tokyo, the Cube is different because it was conceived much more as a product design than a typical car project.
Pratap Bose, a designer with DaimlerChrysler's advance studio in Japan, picks up on this. “I think the Cube is a perfect example of an "anti-car." It doesn't pretend in any way or form to be one. In fact, it is closer to an appliance in its design conception and execution. If you look at the rear door, for example, it is not a hatch but a deep door which looks and opens like those seen on refrigerators!”
“So I feel the younger generation especially in Japan find this tool or mobility appliance almost like an iPod. At the same time, Nissan's executed it in a refined and stylish way with asymmetric glass areas, cool front grilles, interesting colours and trims and so on.”
Forget dreaming about Ferraris and Porsches. Mobile phones, the net, music, socialising, snowboarding etc, this is their new world order. In a car, they also want something edgy and visually different, also roomy, practical (and crucially, affordable).
The interior truly feels vast (especially the space above your head) and visibility through the huge front screen is amazing. Now you can see why Japan's young blades see it not just as workaday transport but also as an extension of their living room, a place where they can hang out with friends, or perhaps lock themselves in and not even go anywhere.
How much of this formula will work in USA and Europe is the big question. Shiro Nakamura on the other hand is typically upbeat. “Boxy designs such as the Cube have not been the most popular in the west but perhaps there is an emerging group of younger car buyers who are not confined to preconceived notions and are looking for something out of the norm.”
The most straightforward way to reduce the impact of cars on the environment is to make smaller cars. Simplicity is the starting point for Japanese aesthetics, and Japan has a distinct category of mini-vehicles—also known as light cars, kei cars, or micro-cars.
Japanese culture has made huge strides in Europe and US over the past decade: manga, anime, Evos, WRXs and GT-Rs, sushi. But what about Japanese car design and, in particular, Japan's peculiar fascination with the car as a box? Space, utility and all the simple logic of a packing crate were some of the defining factors behind the creation. That and the ability to carry family and/or friends around in a roomy, comfy, five/seven seat cabin.
The Cube was conceived around the concept of 'my room'. Spend any time in Japan and you find you never really have enough space, whether at home, on the tube, in shops, on the street, wherever.
“There are many reasons why boxy designs are popular in Japan,” says Shiro Nakamura, vice-president of Nissan design and ultimate styling boss.
“The first is functionality: the desire to make full use of limited available space” (In Japan, the logic is that square is the best shape for packing the most stuff in).
“Then there's emotion: many customers in this market are not looking for "speed" in design but something more moderately paced,” adds Nakamura.
Let's not forget, meantime, that many Japanese simply love the rationality of square designs. When you look at a typical Japanese urban street with its many tall, flat-sided buildings, square windows and signs, aesthetically, these boxy cars fit right in.
That's why the Cube looks the way it does with very few curves to its outer panels and that brilliant asymmetrical back door as that further renegade touch. According to Stephen Clemenger, a British designer in Tokyo, the Cube is different because it was conceived much more as a product design than a typical car project.
Pratap Bose, a designer with DaimlerChrysler's advance studio in Japan, picks up on this. “I think the Cube is a perfect example of an "anti-car." It doesn't pretend in any way or form to be one. In fact, it is closer to an appliance in its design conception and execution. If you look at the rear door, for example, it is not a hatch but a deep door which looks and opens like those seen on refrigerators!”
“So I feel the younger generation especially in Japan find this tool or mobility appliance almost like an iPod. At the same time, Nissan's executed it in a refined and stylish way with asymmetric glass areas, cool front grilles, interesting colours and trims and so on.”
Forget dreaming about Ferraris and Porsches. Mobile phones, the net, music, socialising, snowboarding etc, this is their new world order. In a car, they also want something edgy and visually different, also roomy, practical (and crucially, affordable).
The interior truly feels vast (especially the space above your head) and visibility through the huge front screen is amazing. Now you can see why Japan's young blades see it not just as workaday transport but also as an extension of their living room, a place where they can hang out with friends, or perhaps lock themselves in and not even go anywhere.
How much of this formula will work in USA and Europe is the big question. Shiro Nakamura on the other hand is typically upbeat. “Boxy designs such as the Cube have not been the most popular in the west but perhaps there is an emerging group of younger car buyers who are not confined to preconceived notions and are looking for something out of the norm.”
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