Japanese buyers love their small city cars or ‘kei‘, as they like to call them, which are easy to drive and very frugal at the pump. They are designed to maximize the use of interior space and because of this, their exterior appearance, dimensions and proportions do suffer.
They have been going at it for a some time now, and while the exterior dimensions and tall upright shape may look ridiculous to a European or American car buyer, that doesn’t mean they haven’t gotten very good at it. Take the Nissan – wait for it – DAYZ ROOX, for example, which is still tall and boxy, but it wears its bodywork with pride.
With those thin and swept-back headlights, aggressive front bumper, large rims (for this type of vehicle, of course) and floating roof, it actually succeeds in being stylish, despite having the odds against it.
It is the product of a collaborative effort between Nissan and Mitsubishi – it is actually the first model created by this particular microcar joint venture (though, the two companies have cooperated in many other projects). Nissan said that it will launch a wider range DAYZ-branded vehicles, and that their first model, pictured here, will be going on sale (in Japan) in June of 2013.
At this time, technical details are non-existent in the official press blurb, and all they say is that the car offers easy access in and out, and is comfortable, roomy and fuel-efficient. The manufacturer is keen to mention that they will be updating the web with their latest progress with the car, “on a timely basis.”
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
