Nissan Vanette

The Nissan Vanette (Japanese: 日産・バネット, Hepburn: Nissan Banetto) is a cabover van and pickup truck produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1978 until 2011. The first two generations were engineered by Nissan's Aichi Manufacturing Division for private, personal ownership, with the last two generations built by Mazda, rebadged as Nissans and refocused as commercial vehicles, based on the Mazda Bongo. The van has also been sold as the Nissan Sunny-Vanette or Nissan Van. The private purchase passenger platform was replaced by the Nissan Serena in 1991, renamed Vanette in various international markets, and came equipped with multiple engine and drivetrain configurations.

Both 2WD and 4WD versions were produced, with manual, automatic, floor and column shift options available. While no longer produced for the Japanese market, it was still available in other markets around the world such as Malaysia. Production ended around 2010, eventually being replaced by the Nissan NV200.

The first appearance of a cabover truck/delivery van appeared in 1962 with the Datsun Cablight, a rebadged version of the earlier Kurogane Mighty Nissan acquired when they assumed the operations of Tokyu Kogyo Kurogane. As the Cablight was reengineered, it was offered as a cab-over truck and van called the Datsun Sunny Cab/Nissan Cherry Cab (C20) introduced in 1969, and was one size smaller from the Prince Homer truck and the Prince Homy van. The cabover approach allowed the exterior dimensions to remain unchanged while increasing the length of the cargo area of the Nissan Sunny truck. The Sunny Cab/Cherry Cab passenger van could accommodate five passengers, and an extended-length version could carry eight people. The Cab Vans did not have sliding passenger doors; instead, they had conventional front-hinged doors with extended lengths on the passenger side. The rear tailgate was a clamshell design where the door separated into two pieces that would extend up, with a tailgate on the lower half of the door.

The commercial model was basic, keeping the price low. The Sunny Truck continued to be built after the introduction of the second generation passenger version, and was only replaced in early 1971 by the new B120-series truck. The Cabover trucks were renamed the Nissan Vanette and the Nissan Cherry Cab/Vanette or Vonnate.

Introduced in October 1978 as a replacement for the 1969 Nissan Cherry Cab/Sunny Cab C20 and Nissan Sunny Cab Van/Nissan Cherry Cab Van, the first Vanette was exported as the Datsun C20 (later the Nissan C20) or as the Nissan Datsun Vanette (later the Nissan Vanette). In the home market, it was initially marketed as either the 'Nissan Sunny Vanette' or the 'Nissan Cherry Vanette', depending on the distribution network, although in engineering terms, it borrowed heavily from the rear-wheel-drive generations of the Sunny line—namely the B210 and B310 series models, with which it shared engines and transmissions. The Sunny Vanette was sold through Nissan Satio Store and the Cherry Vanette was sold through Nissan Cherry Store locations. These two models had somewhat differing front-end treatment. In March 1980, a Datsun Vanette version was also added, which was sold through the Nissan Bluebird Store dealer network. The Datsun Vanette received twin headlights, while its related models had single headlights. It was a junior model to the larger Nissan Caravan.

It was initially available in three lines: a truck version, vans (usually with passenger accommodation), and as a nine-seat minibus (Vanette Coach). The Coach received a 1.4 L (1,397 cc) A14 four-cylinder, producing 75 PS (55 kW) at 5,400 rpm. The van and truck versions originally had to make do with the lesser A12 of 1.2 L (1,171 cc) and 64 PS (47 kW) at the same engine speed. Later, the 1400 engine became available in Van and Truck versions as well. In July 1979, a high-roof version was added, as well as a long wheelbase van and ten-seater Coach version. This was stretched by 33 cm between the front and side doors; LWB versions were never available with the A12 engine. Some versions received separate air conditioning outlets for the rear.

In June 1980, the Coach version changed from the A14 to the larger (1,487 cc) A15 engine, offering 83 PS (61 kW). There was also a luxurious SGL version of the Vanette Coach added, with an available sunroof and swivelling captain's chairs in the rear – both firsts for the segment in Japan. To indicate its luxurious nature, the SGL received double square headlights for a more modern appearance. In June 1981, the LD20 diesel engine was added, as was a 2-litre gasoline version (Z20) for the top-of-the-line SGX version.

In 1981, Nissan introduced a smaller passenger vehicle which had sliding passenger doors on both sides of the vehicle, with conventional front doors, called the Nissan Prairie, making the Vanette/Largo no longer the smallest cargo van offered.