- The Nissan Sakura is an all-electric Kei car.
- It’s just 11 feet long and weighs under 2,400 lbs, with a starting price of around $15,000.
- The Sakura has become Japan’s best-selling EV, but Nissan isn’t selling it anywhere else… yet.
There’s a reason Americans seem increasingly fascinated with Japanese Kei vehicles: It’s amazing to see small cars winning. The past two decades have seen Americans completely scorn anything small, cheap and simple, moving towards ever-bigger, ever-more “premium” options. That’s why our three best-selling EVs are all made by Tesla, a premium brand that claims to be an AI company first. One of them starts at $80,000. In Japan, things are different. The best-selling EV is a $15,000 city car from Nissan.
The Nissan Sakura is a “Kei” vehicle, a Japanese designation for vehicles that meet strict size, power and engine displacement rules. That means its power is capped—like all Kei vehicles—at 63 hp, and length is capped at 11 feet, 2 inches. So the Sakura is about 11 feet long, 4.8 feet wide and 5.4 feet tall.
It weighs just under 2,400 lbs, with a 20.0-kWh battery that allows it to go 111 miles on a charge. Note that’s a WLTP figure, which tends to be a lot more generous than the EPA cycle used in the U.S. It can charge from 10-80% in about 20 minutes, though, so you can replenish range quickly. There’s even vehicle-to-load functionality for powering external electronics.
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The Sakura is also super nimble and super cheap. Its turning circle is just 15 feet, and prices start around $15,000 at current exchange rates, with well-optioned examples close to $20,000. You can get it in 15 different color schemes, with two-tone options that add some spunk. It looks cheerful and fun, and Japanese buyers don’t seem to look down on small cars the way Americans do.
That’s made the Sakura a winning proposition. Our reviewer liked it when he drove it back in 2023, and a new video from AutoTrader U.K. seems to agree. Host Rory Reid—formerly of Top Gear fame—calls it “delightful.” No wonder Nissan sold 37,140 of them in Japan last year, per Wards Auto, accounting for nearly half of all EV sales in the country. The company had to stop taking orders at one point because demand was so strong.
Reid argues that the Sakura could win some hearts and minds in the U.K. or Europe, but that conversation is purely theoretical. Nissan only sells the Sakura in Japan, and has no plans to expand it for now. It’s no surprise that it won’t come to the U.S. Tiny, 63-hp Kei cars are not great for America’s highway-heavy infrastructure, and cars with under 100 miles of EPA range have typically faired poorly here. Plus, even the city cars better suited to American highways—including the Honda Fit, Mitsubishi Mirage and Ford Fiesta—have all been killed off here.
We don’t deserve the Sakura. But Europe does. Reid is right that there’s a real opportunity for Nissan to win over some buyers there. It’s unlikely to be the sort of smashing success it is in Japan, but Europe has a notable appetite for city cars, and Nissan has a notable dearth of exciting products. It’s finally got a winner in its hand, now it just needs to double down.
Contact the author: Mack.hogan@insideevs.com.
