Christmas in Taiwan I - All Hail the Nissan Verita

OK – cars are not my thing and but one of things I always like about Taiwan is that you still see plenty of Nissan Verita’s cruising around – plenty of older ones as well as new ones. Verita’s pop up elsewhere, the Philippines or in Japan (where it’s rather daftly called the Altia Euroface MII) for instance, but always seem more at home to me in Taipei. They’ve got an old school feel that will appeal to anyone who likes the original Mini, old Fiats or lusts after Morris Oxfords when in India. Still, Nissan’s marketing may be a bit over the top – ‘A European masterpiece that is a marriage of timeless design and modern amenities. The Nissan Verita is created for those who wish to make their own personal statement.’ The ad guys probably went a bit over the top there.

It’s what the industry terms ‘retro-look’ rather like the newer minis or the new Fiat 500, a retro of the 1957 Cinquecento (which, if I lived in Europe, I admit I’d buy).

They’ve actually only made the Verita (from 'truth' in Latin I guess) since 2001 – it’s basically a generation-old Nissan March (a very ugly car) from the 1980s with a retro body while the inclusion of loads of fake timber inside and a lack of nonsensical gadgetry adds to the old-school feel. It also comes with chrome windshield wiper arms, door handles and side mirrors as well as (virtually the only gadget) a clock! Jeremy Clarkson would hate it…but what does he know?