Nissan AD
The Nissan AD is a subcompact van and wagon built by Nissan since 1982. Since 1996, the AD has also been sold as a passenger car under the Nissan Wingroad moniker. The range has received an extensive variety of nameplates over the years and in different markets and has also been sold as a Mitsubishi, a Mazda, and a Subaru. In January 2025, Nissan announced that production would end in November of that year, citing slowing sales and a need for corporate restructuring.
VB11 series
In October 1982, the AD Van supplemented the commercial delivery vans based on Nissan's other vehicles. In 1983, the Nissan Cedric van was discontinued, as was the Nissan Gloria van. It originally came with four front doors and a liftback hatch in back. In July 1983, a two-door version was introduced, meaning that the earlier B310 Sunny Van could finally be retired. The AD range was based on the B11 series Nissan Sunny wagon but has a more square-rigged and utilitarian appearance.This wagon was sold in Japan as the Sunny AD Van at Nissan Satio Store and as the Pulsar AD Van at Nissan Cherry Store. It was also sold as the "Nissan Datsun AD Van", to tie it together with the Nissan Datsun, which was the name used for the Nissan Pickup in the Japanese Domestic Market.
It came with three engines; the 1.3 and 1.5-litre carburetted E13S and E15S and the 1.7-litre CD17 diesel engine. The transmissions were either a four- or five-speed manual transmission, with the availability of a three-speed automatic for the bigger of the gasoline options. Power outputs for 1984 models in Japan are,, and respectively.
The rear suspension was designed for commercial usage, so it used a simple leaf spring setup and wasn't intended for ride quality. Low cost, light weight, and a flat, low loading floor were the main consideration. The AD van was designed for very basic duties, and the options list was kept small to enhance economical use and running costs. The AD van used a front wheel drive engine configuration shared with the Sunny. The AD Van was marketed as the Nissan Sunny in some European markets such as Belgium, beginning with the 1984 model year. In the Netherlands this version was sold as a "Stationwagen" as well as a van, both with the 1.3-liter engine. The United Kingdom received three versions of the three-door Sunny panel van, all with the 1.3-litre E13 engine and. Payload is.
The AD van remained basically unchanged, except for minor cosmetic changes until the second generation was introduced in 1990 with the Y10 series. The three-door van was also available as a strict two-seater.
Nissan Australia sold the VB11 three-door panel van as part of the Nissan Pulsar range between September 1983 and December 1985, replacing the Sunny panel van that had been discontinued earlier in 1983. The Pulsar panel van was fitted with the 1.3-liter E13 engine and a four-speed manual transmission. The Pulsar van weighed and had a payload rating of.
Y10/N14 series
The second-generation AD Van, introduced in October 1990, replaced the Nissan Sunny B13 series wagon, but with a different rear end compared to exported standard Sunny wagons. The vehicle continued as the AD Van, and as a private use it was marketed as the Nissan Sunny California wagon. The engines used were the 1.5 L and 1.3 L GA15DS & GA13DS with DOHC and the 1.7 L CD17 diesel continued. The Wingroad/AD Van were also accompanied by a larger retail/commercial station wagon/delivery van called the Avenir/Expert that replaced the Nissan Bluebird U12 wagon/delivery van.In May 1996, Nissan renamed the Sunny California the Nissan Wingroad – a California equipment level was initially available through Nissan's Sunny dealership chain. The Wingroad was offered with the SR18DE as well as the GA15DE, while the smallest 1.3 and the diesel option were not available. Trying to cash in on Japan's RV craze of the late 1990s. The Wingroad followed this recipe closely, being a winged and despoilered version of the AD Van, usually with more powerful engines. Four-wheel drive was optional. Unusually, the Wingroad also received a redesigned, larger rear end with a longer rear overhang. A limited edition model built by Autech with the SR20DE was also available; since this was not an official Nissan engine installation it carried the same chassis code as the 1.8. The Wingroad name originated as a trim level on the Bluebird U11-series wagon.
April 1992 saw the introduction of the AD Max, with an unusual raised cargo bay. This model was called a fourgonnette, after the French designation, and received two French doors in the back and two doors for the passengers. The wheelbase was extended by to, with the height of the cargo area measured to be. Overall length also increased, to. Two rear wipers were installed on each of the French doors. Suzuki also tried this approach with the Suzuki Alto Hustle. The AD Max was available with regular rectangular side windows or a more unusual triangular arrangement, as well as a panelled version of the latter. Sales were never improssive and the model was not replaced when the AD was updated in 1999, but nowadays the AD Max has become a collectors' item.
In Europe, the panel van version of the AD Max was sold as the Nissan Sunny Van from May 1992 until April 1998. Cargo load in European specifications ranged up to, depending on model and specifications. Most markets only received this with the CD17 diesel engine, but Nissan also offered the Nissan GA engine|#GA16|GA16 engine - briefly carburetted at the time of introduction, this was replaced by the fuel injected GA16DE in October 1992.
August 1993 saw minor changes, with the 1.3-litre model's automatic transmission upgraded to a four-speed unit. The Wingroad transmission selections were either the four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual.
The Wingroad JS trim level shares an appearance with the larger Nissan Avenir Blastar, and both also use a two-tone paint scheme.
Beginning in April 1994, the Y10 series AD van was also sold as the Subaru Leone Van and from August 1994 as the Mazda Familia Wagon/Van light commercial vehicle. The Subaru version was added as a result of the Leone platform having been replaced by the Subaru Impreza; the Impreza has a reduced size cargo area on the wagon/five-door hatchback and was not suitable for a commercial derivative. The Subaru version was continued to be available in the Y11 generation but was discontinued in 2001, as the Sambar was encroaching on Leone sales. The Mazda Familia-badged AD derivatives continued to be offered in the succeeding generations until June 2018.
April 1996 saw a driver-side airbag added as an extra-cost option. May 1997 saw minor cosmetic changes: the 1.3- and 1.5-liter GA13DE and GA15DE engines replaced the GA13DS and GA15DS versions for better emissions performance, the 2.0 L CD20 diesel engine was introduced with the ATTESA 4WD system, and ventilated front disc-brakes were introduced on all trim levels. The front windshield wipers were offered with a de-icer option.
The Y10 platform was introduced to Thailand, Taiwan and Malaysia in September 1993 as the Nissan AD Resort. A pickup truck body version was available in Thailand as AD "Wingroad". The Y10 was also built in Thailand under license as the Nissan NV. This was built on the longer wheelbase of the AD Max in a bewildering array of bodystyles to suit the Thai buyers' penchant for pickup trucks, including a double-cab ute. There was also a wagon version based on the pickup, essentially going full circle from the original AD Wagon. Thai cars mostly received the GA16DS engine with.
In Mexico, only the station wagon body of the Y10 AD was marketed between 1993 and 2001, being named Nissan Tsubame. This model was introduced in 1993 as a local companion for the then recently launched B13-series saloon range as there was no B13-based wagon, unlike the former B12 and B11 platforms. The Tsubame range featured two trim levels: GS and GST.
Y11 series
The third series AD began in May 1999, once again available only with a station wagon body, sold in the Japanese, New Zealand and Caribbean markets. It is mechanically related to the Nissan Sunny B15 series but has a different exterior design. The interior design is shared with the Japanese market Nissan Sunny B15 as well. A driver-side airbag was now standard on both the AD Van and the Wingroad, with a passenger-side airbag optional. The AD Van Max was no longer offered. In March 2001, manufacturing operations were moved from the Nissan Shatai factory in Kyoto to the facility in Shonan.In August 2002 the AD was facelifted; most notably the bootlid sheet metal was reworked, removing the indentations seen on the initial version, while the grille was also revised. In May 2004 the front turn signals were changed to clear units for the AD Van, along with other minor trim differences. From November 2005, to meet new legal requirements, a side marker light was installed on the front fender – as on European export models.
The AD Van lineup began with the 1.3 L QG13DE, followed by the 1.5 L QG15DE, the 1.8 L QG18DE, and the 2.2 L YD22DD diesel engine – also available with four-wheel drive. From January 2000, the 1.8-litre engine was also available in an LPG-powered, front-wheel drive version of the AD Van. The CNG model sold in small but steady numbers; it took more than 30 months for cumulative sales to reach 1,000 units.
Payloads are for the 1.3 and for all other variants. The AD Van was available in DX and GX models, with additional equipment packages also available. The diesel engine was discontinued after April 2004 as Japan actively discouraged the use of diesel vehicles within its cities.
In January 2006, production was transferred yet again, this time to Nissan's Kyushu Plant. In December, the Y12 series was introduced, mostly replacing the Y11. However, small-series variants of the Y11 continued to be produced until December 2008 as there were initially no four-wheel-drive, manual transmission, or CNG-powered Y12s on offer.
The commercial AD Van version continued to also be sold as the Mazda Familia Wagon and as the Subaru Leone Van. The Mazda version is unrelated to the Familia passenger car range, and kept the Familia name after the car range was replaced by the Axela.