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While the New York Show has been certainly less green than LA, Detroit and Chicago, the march towards environmental altruism continues with automakers.
The Nissan Cube has always looked somewhat like an automotive battery, so an electric concept for the Cube is fitting. Denki (Japanese for “electric”) is the name Nissan is giving its latest Cube Concept shown at the 2008 New York International Auto Show. The concept carries some of Nissan’s green banner and hints strongly at Nissan’s future small car strategy for the North American market. Nissan plans to sell a redesigned gasoline-powered, next-generation Cube in the United States and Canada starting next year. It’s been a long wait for the Cube. Will cars shaped like boxes still resonate by the time we finally get the US-bound Cube?

“The Denki Cube Concept is a fun way to expose American buyers to one of Nissan’s most popular home market cars at a time when fuel economy and packaging efficiency are on a lot of people’s minds,” said Al Castignetti, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Nissan North America, Inc.

Another Cube?
About the Denki Cube Concept
The Denki Cube has a EV powertrain and exterior and interior treatments, including a “electric themed” front grille with an AC power charging port, “lightning” headlight design and new bumpers and turn signal lamps. The rear includes the Cube’s cool wraparound glass on one side and a new bumper with hidden taillights. The roof has a full fixed glass panel. The Denki Cube Concept exterior also has new door mirrors and 16-inch wheel covers.
Inside, the Denki Cube offers only two rows of seats and the wheelbase has been stretched 9.4 inches in order to hold the lithium-ion battery cells.
The electric motor and laminated lithium-ion batteries are located under the floor and seats. Nissan says that the laminated structure and material technology utilized in the batteries offer more power, energy and battery stability, as well as compact size and packaging flexibility.