Nissan Bringing Boxy 'Cube' to US Roads

As embattled US automakers shook their tin cups in Congress, Japan's Nissan unveiled its latest threat to Detroit. The Cube gets more than 30mpg—exact numbers will be out before it hits showrooms next fall—and "is nothing more than a box on wheels," writes Chuck Squatriglia in Wired. Nissan offered a peek at the Los Angeles Auto Show, aiming for the same group of "urban hipsters" who snatched up the Scion XB.

"There's room for five people inside that little box, which is just 13 feet long and not quite 5.5 feet wide," writes Squatriglia. An "asymmetrical rear and side window not only looks cool, it increases visibility." The Cube is a third-generation city car with 4 cylinders that's been extremely popular in Japan. (More Los Angeles Auto Show stories.)