When you think of “best-selling car in Japan,” the Toyota Corolla or Prius still come to mind. Well, you’ll be surprised that another brand and model has successfully taken that crown in 2017. That honor belongs to the Nissan Note.

Thanks to the introduction of e-POWER—Nissan’s battery range-extender, the Note managed to catapult to number one in the Japanese sales charts breaching the 200,00 sales mark. This is the first time a Nissan model has become the best-selling vehicle in Japan.


About 70 percent of Note owners choose the e-POWER system because of its smooth, instant acceleration and agile performance as a pure electric vehicle. The gasoline engine, used only to charge the battery, runs at an optimal speed at all times for maximum fuel efficiency.

Sadly, e-POWER is sold only in the Japan Domestic Market. However, Nissan is hoping to export the technology as a viable first-step to the path of fully electric vehicles.