Japan creates its own EV market of ‘light’ cars

Top seller: The number of petrol-fuelled vehicles is declining in Japan. This is due in part to a diminishing number of petrol stations and the growing popularity of EVs. — AFP

TOKYO: Japanese automakers and car buyers have earned a reputation for being slow to embrace the shift to electric vehicles (EVs), but an unlikely domestic winner offers a hint of how EVs can evolve to suit different markets.

Introduced last year, Nissan Motor Co’s Sakura, jointly developed with Mitsubishi Motors Corp, the eK X is the best-selling EV in Japan this year, data compiled by Bloomberg showed.