Nissan S-Cargo

Nissan S-Cargo
A white Nissan S-Cargo, with canvas roof and quarter window
Overview
ManufacturerNissan
Production1989–1991
8,000 produced
Body and chassis
ClassLight commercial vehicle
Body style2-/3-door van
LayoutFF layout
Powertrain
Engine1.5L E15 I4
Transmission3-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase89 in (2,261 mm)
Length137 in (3,480 mm)
Width62.8 in (1,595 mm)
Height72.4 in (1,839 mm)
Curb weight2,097–2,141 lb (951–971 kg)

The Nissan S-Cargo is a small retro-styled van manufactured by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1989 to 1991, and originally marketed solely in Japan at their Nissan Cherry Stores.

The exterior styling of the S-Cargo was inspired by the Citroën 2CV Fourgonnette delivery van, and interior styling borrowed a Citroën-style single-spoke steering wheel. The name was a double entendre, standing for "Small Cargo" and sounding like "escargot", the French word for snail, which in turn is a nickname for the Citroën 2CV.

Rear view

The S-Cargo was introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1989,[1] was originally marketed without Nissan branding and was available by reservation only. Over its two-year production run, 10,685 were produced[1] (variously reported as 12,000).

Because of its origins at Pike Factory, (Nissan's special project group), the S-Cargo—along with the Nissan Figaro, Be-1 and Pao—are known as Nissan's "Pike cars."

In 2011, noted design critic Phil Patton, writing for The New York Times, called the Pike cars "the height of postmodernism"[2] and "unabashedly retro, promiscuously combining elements of the Citroën 2CV, Renault 4, Mini [and] Fiat 500."[2]

  1. ^ a b "Nissan S-Cargo G20 Registry". GTR-Registry. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Patton, Phil (March 18, 2011). "Nissan's Cartoon Cars, Once So Hip". The New York Times.