TOKYO — Nissan made a piece of history today, November 19, by launching its new, third-generation Cube in Japan, Europe and at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show in the United States, surely the first time any car has ever been launched across three global markets on the same day.
The new Cube succeeds a model that has sold more than half a million units in Japan since 2002 and is still seen as one of the coolest cult machines on the road here.
First came Tokyo, with a tony unveiling on the 52nd floor of the Mori Tower inside Tokyo's ritzy Roppongi Hills complex. On hand to unveil the car was Nissan Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga.
Next was London with an unveiling at the Nissan Design Europe studio in Paddington. Finally was the big American launch for Cube at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, with CEO Carlos Ghosn and design chief Shiro Nakamura taking part.
Although the Cube has some truly quirky design features such a front grille styled after a bulldog wearing sunglasses (we kid you not) and a "wavy love sofa" backseat, the new Cube is broadly an evolution, keeping that unique silhouette while adding extra space and features inside.
Japan's Cube, which goes on sale on November 26, gets 1.5-liter power and is priced at the equivalent of $14,800 to $19,700.
U.S. buyers will have to wait until spring 2009 for its Cube, expected to get the same 1.8-liter engine as the Versa. The European Cube goes on sale in fall 2009 with 1.6-liter gas and 1.5-liter diesel options.
When the unique three-city Cube reveal was set up, design chief Shiro Nakamura was originally planning to appear at two launch events on the same day (Tokyo and Los Angeles). You may remember that at Live Aid '85, the Genesis drummer Phil Collins famously flew from London to the United States via Concorde so he could play at both U.K. and U.S. versions of Live Aid on the same day.
In the end, the flights didn't work out so Nakamura's rock-star-emulating plan was canceled. Still, just like the Cube, it really would have been something different.
Inside Line says: Cube meets world and probably makes legions of new fans on all three continents. — Peter Nunn, Correspondent
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