Design Students Mod 3 Custom Nissan Cube EVs - 03/18/08

NEW YORK — Nissan is finally gearing up to bring its quirky-yet-cool Cube to this side of the Pacific. The official announcement comes nearly two years after rumors of its impending stateside arrival began to emerge from the land of the rising sun. One of the pioneers of Japan's multipurpose vehicle segment, the Cube is big enough on the inside to seat five comfortably, but not so big on the outside that it blocks traffic when parked on the street. Still, when and if it comes here, the next-gen Cube will grow. How much it will grow is a question only Nissan can answer. But at this year's show here, Nissan is showing a Cube concept that's sure to get cubists everywhere electrified.

Even though the Cube on display in New York features an electric motor, the final United States production models will almost certainly have the Nissan Versa's 1.8-liter engine instead of the weak 1.4-liter found under the hood of the Japanese versions. The first gas-powered Cubes are expected to arrive Stateside in early 2009 with a new look. Nissan's design chief said the 2009 model will be a modern interpretation of the present one: "It'll be a more rounded box." The electric powerplant will follow.

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