Is Nissan's Cube Already Missing The Demographic Mark Just Like Scion Did?

Gary Musser of Las Vegas traded a Toyota Prius hybrid for his spanking new Cube, and loves to cruise the glittering Vegas Strip in the little boxy car he says is a "babe magnet". Thing is, Musser's 71 and married. That means, for one thing, any magnetism is arm's-length. It also means car marketers might have shot wide of the mark with the newest small, tall boxes aimed to lure elusive young buyers.

Musser's outside the mainstream, but he's not as far afield as you might guess. Typical buyers of today's tall, boxy cars, not just Cube, are in their 40s, twice what you'd think from the cars' "hey, kids" marketing.



2009 Frankfurt Auto Show Photo Gallery