SHOULD NISSAN BRING BACK THE CUBE AS A KEI CAR FOR THE US MARKET?

Kei cars could be coming to America soon

If you've been keeping up with recent news, you've likely read that, upon President Trump's return from a trip to Japan, he vowed to legalize and encourage the production of "kei cars"—micro-sized subcompact cars designed to meet specific requirements, such as a maximum engine displacement of 660cc, which entitles buyers to low prices and fewer taxes. In an effort to lower the average cost of new cars, Trump believes American-made kei cars could make buying a car far more accessible for buyers with tight budgets, so long as they're willing to sacrifice size and power for affordability. If the current administration's proposal for updated regulations goes through, it could mean American roads could soon be filled with tiny, charismatic, affordable cars, but what might that actually look like?

As these kei cars would not only be sold in the United States but also produced in America, this would allow automakers the ability to manufacture kei cars tailored explicitly for the U.S. market. In Japan, kei cars come in all kinds of forms, from tiny minivans to pickup trucks, crossovers, sedans, and even sports cars. This means it's entirely possible we could begin to see entire kei-car lineups from automakers looking to expand their U.S. market appeal in the affordable segment, with offerings more likely to succeed in the stateside market, such as tiny off-roaders, tiny trucks, and affordable MPVs.

Naturally, when I first heard the news, my mind turned instantly to Nissan. Of course, I had a brand-new Nissan Kicks on test last week—one of the brand's smallest North American offerings, which, all things considered, isn't really all that small. I couldn't help but think that the opening of a kei-car segment in the United States poses an interesting opportunity for the brand, especially since Nissan is perfectly capable of producing kei cars and has been desperately trying to regain valuable market share in the United States.

Nissan's modern kei cars

Despite Nissan's recent financial struggles, the brand has continued to produce successful, award-winning kei cars in Japan. The Nissan Sakura, as pictured above, for example, boasts an all-electric powertrain, was awarded Japanese Car of the Year for 2022-2023, won RJC Car of the Year in 2023, and was awarded the Japanese Automotive Hall of Fame Car of the Year award in 2022. So, then, combined with Nissan's American production capabilities, it seems the brand is in a favorable position when it comes to making a kei car for the North American market. Still, though, I don't believe that successfully selling a kei car in North America will be as simple as producing one that the brand already makes in Japan on American soil. Nissan will need to develop kei cars specifically for us. But what could that look like?

Why the Nissan Cube could be the perfect foundation for Nissan's U.S.-market kei cars

Well, using a familiar nameplate is a great place to start, and what better nameplate for a small, quirky, boxy crossover than Cube? From 2009 through 2014, Nissan sold the Cube in North America, although it was not as small as a kei car. The Cube gained a niche reputation for its roominess, surprising functionality, and quirky looks—precisely the impression Nissan would want a kei vehicle to convey to U.S. buyers. It could be the perfect place for the brand to start when it comes to offering a kei car in the U.S., with all the same principles of the original Cube, only scaled down into a much smaller package.

So, with the help of Adobe Photoshop, Gemini 3 Pro, and Midjourney 7.0, I decided to take a look at what an all-new Nissan Cube could look like, resized as a kei car for production and sale in North America. These renders are purely fictional and do not depict any actual Nissan products.

What could a revived Nissan Cube kei car look like?

Blasphemous? Outright preposterous? Egregious even? No matter. Whoever claimed small cars don't sell in America wasn't building the right ones. Just because a car is tiny and inexpensive doesn't mean it has to lack character, and that's precisely what a Nissan Cube kei car could do best: it could be fun. Of course, with its boxy, upright proportions, the Cube would also make the most of its limited space, offering as much interior room as possible despite its tiny stature. But to resonate with buyers, it will need to charm their pants off. With the Cube's iconic four-spoke wheels, a rectangular grille, and squared LED fog lights, the revived Nissan Cube should take the word "Cube" to the max, playing on it rather than simply describing the vehicle's overall shape.

Of course, it shouldn't only be fun to look at, either. It should also be fun to drive. So, I've gone ahead and rendered it with a six-speed manual gearbox, because why not? Affordability is what kei cars should be chasing after all, right? Although we still aren't sure of what sort of powertrains will be permitted for use in American kei cars, as the Japanese market's 660cc-maximum regulations might not result in engines that can handle American freeways, I'd still love to see Nissan give something like this a proper, old-fashioned manual gearbox—at least as an option—instead of only offering the boring, controversial, CVT. If I had any say over the matter, I'd love to see this hypothetical Nissan Cube produced with a naturally aspirated variant of the 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine that's found in the current Rogue, offered with the buyer's choice of either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT automatic.

Final thoughts: Should Nissan try to conquer the American kei segment?

Nissan is at a point where every new product it offers must be a home run. The automaker doesn't have the cash to throw away on taking significant risks, but it still must offer fresh, new, and exciting products to keep buyers interested. Producing and delivering a kei car, such as the proposed Cube revival, could offer the automaker a cost-effective opportunity to get into a fresh new segment early on, potentially swaying future kei-car buyers towards Nissan. Of course, it would still be risky, but I believe it's a risk worth taking for the brand that has championed kei car production overseas for many years.

I'd love to hear what you think, though! Would you love to see the Cube return as a quirky, manually-shifted kei car for North America, or have you long since given up on Nissan and would rather see something like the Honda N-ONE RS or a Daihatsu Copen convertible? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

2025-12-13T16:29:31Z