Nissan Note tops Japan car sales rankings

The Nissan Note topped Japan’s car sales rankings in the first half of 2018, the company announced, as it rolled out upgraded versions of the popular model to give customers even more options.

Nissan sold 73,380 Note compact cars in the January-June period, making it Japan’s best-selling new car, excluding minivehicles.

The Note was the first car equipped with Nissan’s e-POWER electric powertrain, introduced in Japan in November 2016. The e-POWER system is a key part of Nissan’s electrification strategy, which includes a global target to sell 1 million electrified vehicles annually by fiscal year 2022. It’s also offered on the Nissan Serena, which was Japan’s best-selling minivan in the first six months of the year.

Giving customers even more new options, Nissan today announced several upgrades and a refreshed model lineup for the Note in Japan:

• A four-wheel-drive version of the Nissan Note e-POWER goes on sale in Japan today. The newly developed combination of e-POWER and motor-assist 4WD will support drivers when traveling on snow- and ice-covered roads. The e-POWER system’s performance and the precise control provided by all-wheel motor drive gives the Nissan Note e-POWER 4WD improved stability on steep, icy inclines, and when turning at ice-covered intersections.
• An Autech-modified version of the Note has been launched. Available in a range of seven exterior body colors including Autech’s signature blue, this version will emphasize premium craftsmanship, with top-quality materials and immaculate attention to detail. The Note AUTECH and Note e-POWER AUTECH will be priced from 1,745,280 yen and 2,264,760 yen, respectively. An e-POWER AUTECH SPORTS SPEC grade, featuring custom-tuned suspension, handling, and acceleration, will be available at 2,453,760 yen.
• All Note grades except the e-POWER S now have Emergency Assist for Missed Pedal Application as a standard feature. This system can help drivers avoid collisions if they step on the accelerator by mistake. An improvement that enables the system to sense pedestrians when moving forward, previously only available on e-POWER models, has been extended to conventional gasoline-powered versions of the Note.
• Intelligent Cruise Control and Intelligent LI (lane departure avoidance support system), previously only available on certain grades of e-POWER vehicles, have been extended to conventional gasoline-powered versions of the Note.
• A new body color, Sunlight Yellow, has been added. In addition, the sporty Black Arrow color scheme has a new Super Black two-tone color^** roof to match the Sunlight Yellow body. This means there are now 22 different color variations to choose from.
• The special-specification Note C-Gear has also has 4WD (motor assist) added to its e-POWER grade, and Emergency Assist for Missed Pedal Application has been added as standard.
• The Nissan Note NISMO has added Emergency Assist for Missed Pedal Application as standard on its NISMO and e-POWER NISMO grades.