Nissan to launch all-new Roox minivehicle in autumn

Nissan hopes to boost its sluggish domestic sales by revamping the mainstay minivehicle model for the first time in five years.

The fourth-generation Roox will have a taller body and a roomier interior than the previous model. It will feature new functions for minivehicles, such as a monitor to check the underside of the car body to avoid objects falling on the road, and a support system to prevent collisions with following vehicles on expressways.

Suggested retail prices are expected to start at around 1.6 million yen.

The first Roox model was released in 2009, receiving supplies from Suzuki Motor Corp. under an original equipment manufacturer contract.

"The Roox is an important model that holds the key to Nissan's revival," Akira Sugimoto, a corporate executive in charge of domestic sales, said at a presentation in Tokyo. "We will introduce the new model with confidence as a new standard for minivehicles."

 [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]