The Nissan Vanette was a cab-over van and pickup truck built from 1978 until 1994. Production in Malaysia continued until about 2010, and Nissan kept the Vanette name on a rebadged Mazda Bongo for commercial use until 2017. The first two generations were engineered by Nissan’s Aichi Manufacturing Division, and the van was also sold as the Nissan Sunny-Vanette or Nissan Van.
Nissan Vanette at a glance
| Production | 1978–1994; Malaysia to about 2010 |
|---|---|
| First generation | C120, from October 1978 |
| Replaced | Nissan Cherry Cab and Sunny Cab C20 |
| Layout | cab-over, rear-wheel drive |
| Engines | shared with the Sunny B210 and B310 |
| Drive | rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive |
| Gearboxes | manual or automatic, floor or column shift |
| Names at launch | Nissan Sunny Vanette, Nissan Cherry Vanette |
| Later use | a rebadged Mazda Bongo to 2017 |
| Replaced by | Nissan NV200 around 2010 |
based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Nissan Vanette.
History of the Nissan Vanette
Before the Vanette
The first cab-over delivery van appeared in 1962 as the Datsun Cablight, a rebadged Kurogane Mighty that Nissan acquired with Tokyu Kogyo Kurogane. As the Cablight was redesigned it was offered as the Datsun Sunny Cab and Nissan Cherry Cab (C20), introduced in 1969, one size smaller than the Prince Homer truck and Homy van. The cab-over layout kept the exterior dimensions while lengthening the load area of the Sunny truck. The passenger version carried five people, with an extended version for eight, conventional front-hinged doors with a longer passenger side rather than sliding doors, and a clamshell tailgate split into an upper and lower part. The commercial model stayed basic to keep the price low, and the cab-over trucks were eventually renamed the Nissan Vanette and Nissan Cherry Cab.
C120 (1978)
The first Vanette was introduced in October 1978 as a replacement for the 1969 Cherry Cab, Sunny Cab C20 and their van versions. It was exported as the Datsun C20, later the Nissan C20, or as the Nissan Datsun Vanette. In Japan it was marketed as the Nissan Sunny Vanette or Nissan Cherry Vanette depending on the dealer network, although it borrowed heavily from the rear-wheel-drive Sunny B210 and B310 generations, sharing their engines and gearboxes. The Sunny Vanette was sold through Nissan Satio Store and the Cherry Vanette through Nissan Cherry Store, with somewhat different front-end treatment. In March 1980 a Datsun Vanette was added for the Nissan Bluebird Store network, with twin headlights rather than single ones. It was a junior model to the larger Caravan.
Later life
Both rear- and four-wheel-drive versions were built, with manual and automatic gearboxes, floor or column shift. The private passenger version was replaced by the Nissan Serena in 1991 and the name was then used in various international markets, while the Vanette stayed on sale in Malaysia until about 2010, when the NV200 took over. Nissan later applied the name to a rebadged Mazda Bongo with a more commercial purpose, keeping it in use until 2017.
Design and features
- Cab-over layout: a short nose for maximum cargo space.
- Three dealer names: Sunny Vanette, Cherry Vanette and Datsun Vanette.
- Two headlight designs: twin lamps on the Datsun version.
- Long export life: built in Malaysia until about 2010.
Nissan Vanette versions
- Vanette C120 (1978–1988): the first generation.
- Nissan Sunny Vanette and Cherry Vanette: the dealer-specific versions.
- Datsun Vanette (1980–): sold at Bluebird Store.
- Vanette-based Mazda Bongo (to 2017): the later rebadged model.
The Vanette was the junior model to the Caravan and its passenger version was replaced by the Serena, while the NV200 took over its role. More cars are in the Nissan collection.
Video: Fast and Nice – Nissan Vanette V8 Version Original
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- Nissan Vanette, English Wikipedia: cab-over history, C120 launch, dealer names, later production
