Battle of the box cars

Nissan reaches for out-of-the-box design with its low-volume models, and the Cube, with its wraparound rear window, is one of its most dramatic. But what looks cute on Japan's crowded highways gets lost in the vastness of the American landscape, and the Cube's U.S. following remains vey exclusive. Fewer than 600 -- or 12 per state -- were purchased in August vs. 23,000 of Nissan's more mainstream Altima.

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