Nissan Cube (2009) unveiled at LA Auto Show

This is Nissan’s funky new third-generation Cube, unveiled at the LA Auto Show today and set to go on sale in North America in spring 2009. But the big news is that Nissan will also finally sell this new Cube officially in the UK, so the Fiat 500 and Mini will have an edgy new Japanese rival from early next year.
The Nissan Cube, eh? Named after its styling then…

Indeed, and apart from a few Scions in the US, you’ve got to admit the Cube looks like nothing else on the road. The asymmetrical styling continues on the third-generation car with that wraparound rear window, while Nissan describes the rest of the exterior design as ‘a whimsical combination of squares and circles’. Quite.

Elements like the bar-type rear lights are designed to make the Cube look wide, rather than tall and boxy. And there are practical touches, like that big side-hinged rear door that can either be opened fully, or just popped eight inches if you haven’t got much room.

With the wheels pushed out to each corner – the 2530mm wheelbase is long in comparison to the overall 3980mm length – those slab sides and a big glasshouse, there’s lots of room (and light) inside the new Cube.