Nissan gets cute

Ayano Sasao is defying the conventional wisdom that cars targeted to a niche consumer category like young women are doomed to fail.

The 18-year-old Japanese hospital worker just bought the Nissan Pino, a toylike minicar just 3.4 metres long with star-stamped upholstery, a hook for a handbag and a chic "milk tea beige" exterior - although she says she almost went with the pink.

"It's so cute. I just love it," she said.

To make sure women like Sasao get the message, Nissan Motor launched a merchandise line for Pino, including pink bear-shaped cushions, seat covers with hearts, a CD case that looks like fat red lips, and a colourful cover for a tissue box.

Ironically, Pino isn't even made by Nissan, Japan's third biggest carmaker. It's made by Suzuki Motor.

A cute look

But under a manufacturing agreement, Nissan packages Suzuki's Alto model differently, with fancier seat fabric, a distinct front design and a hubcap inspired by a snowflake so the wheels appear to sparkle on the road - all touches to give the car that cute look.

Nissan had 5 500 orders for the Pino in the first month since it went on sale in January, more than double the company target of 2 500 a month.

Sasao knew the Alto looked a lot like her Pino and was quite a bit cheaper.

The Pino starts at about ¥1m, while the Alto starts at ¥650 000. But she was still willing to spend more - and take out a six-year auto loan - for the Pino because she thought it was so much cuter.

While models such as sportscars or family minivans target segments of the population, auto companies generally avoid producing models aimed at narrow niche markets because they usually don't sell in numbers.

Toyota Motor officials often say they don't believe in overly specific marketing tactics, which are apt to backfire for an automaker known for best-sellers like the Camry and Corolla.

The culture of cute

And in most countries, experts tend to advise against making autos pink or adding other "cute" features to appeal to female drivers partly because that may smack of sexism and turn off women - except in Japan.

Here, young women are extremely powerful in setting trends, and the culture of cute is so prevalent grown men aren't embarrassed about dangling little mascots from cellphones.

Also, Japanese consumers frequently use personal products to show off who they are, often buying designer-brand products to make a statement, said Kazuo Ikegami, marketing expert and professor at Rissho University.

"Product image is far more important for Japanese consumers than American consumers," Ikegami said. "There's a much bigger element of personal identity in Japanese marketing."

Even the advertising for Pino is tailored to women who are about 20 years old.

Courting the young

The pamphlet is manga-style, like a Japanese comic book, depicting the story of three young well-dressed women going shopping together, manicuring their nails to match the star-patterns on Pino seats, using aromatherapy oils in the car. The TV ads also tell a similar story.

Nissan marketing manager Miwa Ishii says one goal for Pino is to court young drivers to the Nissan brand with hopes they'll move on to buy more expensive models in the future.

Ishii said the Net store Nissan opened especially for Pino goodies is aimed at attracting online shoppers, who tend to live in areas far from the glitzy stores of Tokyo and other cities _ exactly the demographics of those who buy minicars.

She said: "Rather than talk about the features of a minicar, we thought it's better to talk about how cute it is. It's a new model. We're starting from zero to build public awareness about it."