TOKYO: Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. unveiled a jointly developed electric minivehicle model on Friday.

The model, developed by NMKV Co., a Tokyo-based fifty-fifty joint venture between the two Japanese automakers, will be released as the Nissan Sakura from Nissan and the eK X EV from Mitsubishi Motors.

The new vehicle will be manufactured at Mitsubishi Motors’ Mizushima plant in the city of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, western Japan.

Japanese automakers have so far mainly launched electric vehicles of high-end models, such as SUVs. They are now likely to focus also on developing electric versions of minivehicles, which make up around 40 pct of the automobile market in Japan.

Daihatsu Motor Co., a unit of leading Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp., aims to release by 2025 a model effectively costing buyers between 1 million yen and below 2 million yen. Honda Motor Co. plans to introduce a commercial vehicle model in 2024.

JIJI Press