The Nissan Clipper Rio, a tall, tiny one-box 660 cc mini wagon, launched in Tokyo this week.
Nissan?s a latecomer to Japan?s high volume, super-specialized
660 cc minicar world. It doesn?t build cars itself, but buys them in from Suzuki and, in this case, Mitsubishi.
You might wonder what the big deal is, but in space constrained Japan, these small, low cost, cheap-to-run kei jdosha (light cars) sell in vast numbers. More than two million units sold in 2006 equates to an all-time record, accounting for more than 30 percent of the market.
Nissan already buys Mitsubishi?s Town Box mini wagon, and after a slight restyling, it sells it on through its own dealers as the Clipper.
While the Clipper is aimed at the gritty commercial vehicle market, the slightly fancier Clipper Rio is set up for civilians. You get a choice of a thrummy three cylinder engine, in either normally-aspirated trim (48 brake horsepower) or a turbocharged variant producing a spanking 64 bhp.
A four-speed auto is standard on the Rio which stickers for some $10,200-$13,675.
It remains to be seen if the Smart ForTwo will succeed in the U.S., but if it takes hold, could a boxy kei car be far behind? View the attachments for this post at: