Good things come in small packages - and the Nissan Micra is about to get even better, as it’s being transformed into an all-electric city car.
The Micra has been around in one form or other since the early 1980s and has long been a Godsend for motorists looking for an affordable, reliable and pleasingly-styled family car.
The supermini is also popular among those who’ve just passed their test, and was crowned 'New Car of the Year' for the second year running at 2019 FirstCar awards.
The current Micra is pocket-sized superstar, marrying great looks with a punchy turbocharged 1.0 litre petrol engine that returns well in excess of 50 miles to the gallon.
Even base models also come fully loaded with cruise control, a 7 inch infotainment touchscreen, full phone connectivity and safety systems like lane departure warning and Intelligent Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Recognition.
Add in a surprisingly large 300 litre boot - larger than the one seen in the Suzuki Swift and almost on a par with the Ford Fiesta - and you’ve got yourself a great, everyday lease car.
Now, however, Nissan has announced some big changes - and this is the first look at the car that’ll replace the existing Micra.
A spokesperson for the Japanese firm says:
“Nissan today announced an all-new compact electric vehicle coming to European markets.
“Planned to be manufactured in the Renault ElectriCity centre in France, the new car will succeed the iconic Nissan Micra as the entry-level vehicle in the Nissan line-up.”
As you can see from the statement above, this is a vehicle that’s being built as part of a collaboration between Nissan and Renault. It’ll be designed by Nissan, but engineered and manufactured by Renault. It’ll also utilise the new ‘Alliance CMF B-EV’ electric platform, which is also shared with Mitsubishi.
Nissan Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta says:
“This all-new model will be designed by Nissan and engineered and manufactured by Renault using our new common platform, maximizing the use of our Alliance assets while maintaining its Nissan-ness.
“This is a great example of the Alliance’s ‘smart differentiation’ approach. Succeeding our iconic Micra, I am sure this new model will provide further excitement to our customers in Europe.”
Further product information, including naming, launch timing and technical details, will be released in due course.
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