Dear Nissan, bring the Note Aura to the Philippines

The Nissan Note Aura is the newest subcompact small hatchback from the Japanese brand. Launched in Japan, the Note Aria is equipped with the brand’s e-POWER hybrid powertrain that is also shared with the Nissan Kicks available in the other parts of the ASEAN region. Speaking of which, where’s the Nissan Kicks? 

Anyway, back to the Note. You get subcompact dimensions with a gorgeously sculpted front grille flanked by two LED headlights. The rear profile appears to be lower and wider, giving onlookers the impression that it has a more robust presence than its size suggests. Heck, it's such a darling that it even gets sequential LED turn signals. 

Perhaps what’s great about small cars are the colors they come in. Nissan supplies up to 14 color variations for the Note Aura in Japan. Fun colors are a hallmark of any small car, just ask the Wigo or Picanto. 

Lifted from the Navara, the Aura surprisingly gets a set of Zero Gravity seats with two types of upholstery: a Herringbone-patterned tweed-like fabric, and synthetic or genuine leather. It’s also remarkably stylish with a wood-grain finish at the bottom of the instrument panel. It can also be equipped with a BOSE audio system which is a bit of a rarity in the segment—at least in the Philippines. 

As for its footwork, it gets 17-inch wheels with gunmetal resin inserts that Nissan claims have an aerodynamic design. Power is fed to those wheels via an electric motor drive, and there are two drivetrain options available: Two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. There are 4 variants of the Note Aura: the G, G leather edition, G Four, and G Four leather edition. 

Power comes from a 134 hp, or 100 kW system with up to 300 Nm of torque. Those are turbocharged figures mind you. 

Nissan just officially launched the LEAF this year, marking the Japanese brand’s foray into the EV market. It is priced quite high, as future-proofing does come at a premium especially in uncharted territories. However, it does mean that Nissan Philippines is willing to push the envelope a little, even without widespread charging stations available at the moment. 

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about the Note Aura is its price tag in Japan. While it is more affordable across the pond, directly converted to Philippine Pesos, it’s exceptionally affordable at about P1,150,000 (¥2,610,300 JPY) for the base variant, and around P1,300,000 (¥2,957,900 JPY) for the top of the line G Four leather edition. For an electric vehicle, that’s not half bad.