Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   The Indian Car Scene (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/)

-   -   Unveiled: Nissan Micra - The brand's small car for India (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/76586-unveiled-nissan-micra-brands-small-car-india.html)

Note from Mod : Please continue the discussion in the Nissan Micra Test-Drive Report Thread

This thread is closed.

The Nissan Motor Company unveiled its New Micra model on Tuesday at the Geneva Motor Show, a car that will be produced and sold in India among other countries.

The small car that will be the latest entrant in the booming small car segment in India, boasts of Nissan’s new V platform comprising a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine which will produce only 115g/km of CO2 emissions.

Retaining its compact dimensions, the new car is slightly longer and marginally lower, while its longer wheelbase enables a ‘wheels-at-each-corner’ stance, the main reason behind its roomier interior.

Sales of the new Micra, which will be called March in Japan, will start in Thailand in March, in India in July and European sales will begin in November this year. Production will commence in Chennai from May this year.

Speaking to reporters during the launch in Geneva, Carlos Ghosn, CEO Nissan, said “the Micra is a car destined to be a serious competitor on the world stage.”

Nissan, Japan's third largest car maker in which Renault holds a 44% stake, has set up a plant at Oragadam near Chennai with a capacity of 200000 units. However, “at least 80% of the output is meant for exports to European
markets,” Colin Dodge, Nissan’s executive vice-president, told TOI.

While the management is still tightlipped about the price, it’s expected to be placed in the B-segment near the Hyundai i20 and the Maruti Swift. With 80% localization of production, the company expects the price to be competitive. However, Dodge ruled out any price wars, saying the industry was better off without it.

The company is ready with an aggressive rollout plan and has already appointed 24 dealers so far. Nissan, which is also collaborating with Bajaj in development of an ultra low-cost vehicle, is planning to roll out two more cars apart from the Micra later — a sedan and a crossover MUV.

Interestingly, the hatchback will be available in Europe with reversing sensors and a new ‘parking space measurement’ (PSM) device with three skill levels (amateur, normal and expert) to lessen the burden of parking in tight spaces – a unique feature in this segment. The car is designed to absorb the forces of a frontal impact due to sophisticated crumple zones, while maintaining cabin integrity due to its highly reinforced body shell.

The focus of Nissan seems to have been on weight reduction for improved fuel economy and better emission control. Kiminobu Tokuyama, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India Private Ltd (NMIPL), said: “It is a victory day for Nissan and all Indian customers. The fourth generation Micra has been designed in line with the discerning needs of the Indian customers and we believe that it is the right product at the right time.”

The car will also be produced in Thailand, China, Brazil and Mexico

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

IMO this is one of the rare cars, where a newer version looks uglier than older versions. After polo, beat and even figo, I don't quite like the car. Othere blogs say cost cutting is evident everywhere.

Note from Support:
Please make sure that you mention the source of the article you are posting

The new Micra looks much better compared to the previous gen Micra, which IMO is one of the worst looking cars. I agree with you on the interior quality bit though.

Wow looks cute, the rear looks similar to Etios hatch...

Well, its small in size like an A-star. I like the interiors, they are funky. Exteriors are girly.

Again another 3 pot engine!!
Why can't these folks also come up with a 4 pot engine as well?

First Polo and now the Micra.

This is a VERY important car for Nissan India. The brand is nearly inexistent in our marketplace today, thanks its product range that only includes 20+ lakh CBUs. Nissan does make some nice small cars; the challenge will be:

- To avoid getting lost in the market place. The B segment is only getting more and more crowded. Nissan would do well in picking some tips up from Hyundai on brand management, customer service, maintaining overall quality etc.

- It would need a diesel. Oil-burners have found their place in the B segment.

- DEALERS! The company recently opened a self-owned dealership down south. Few entrepreneurs willing to invest 15 - 20 crore in a brand new dealership today. Whoever they choose, the management must be customer-centric.

Just a gimmick to ensure press coverage :)

Looks like a Chery QQ meets i20 imho. It will be well engineered no doubt

Micra is being manufactured in 4 countries for export to over 160 Countries

I have few PDF 's explaining V platform . Don,t know if i can post them here. Moreover they are not meant for Public, will try to copy paste later on .


Spot on as for as JAPAN goes, The Pre-production has already started in chennai and if my info is correct , 80% of output will be for export. Chennai BHPian should be spotting more test Mules than anybody else in India.


Expect the prices to be competitive . Most probably SWIFT is going to suffer due to Micra . trust me , she is gonna me making most dents on Swift sales as for as Pricing goes.

This is how the interiors look like. Not bad at all, definitely not cheap. The outside may look really compact but seems to be spacious from inside.

So many buttons on steering, what are those :s Cenetr console looks cute too. Refreshing comapred to others we have in the segments in india.

surely the interior wont as good as this. We have seen this happening with Punto and Polo. International version interiors are way above Indian versions!

Extensive cost cutting for Indian market means some cheap plastic/ no auto / de-tuned engine for better FE etc. But if they price Micra in priced par with Beat, Nissan can make some impact on hatch market.

EDIT:

They can only use PSM in Europe. In india PSM wont work for sure . System will hang after some time lol:

Is that pink shade on some gadgets there? Are they trying to appeal the lady drivers? Then they might as well give an automatic transmission option.

GENEVA (March 2, 2010) – Nissan Press Release:

Carlos Ghosn, Chief Executive Officer, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd, today unveiled the company’s all new Micra, the fourth generation of the iconic city car, at the 80th International Geneva Motor Show.

Boasting breakthrough packaging and small-car engineering, the all-new, fourth generation Nissan Micra (known as March in Japan) is on course to create a whole new set of industry standards. Unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show, the Micra has consistently won praise and success for in Europe, Japan and other markets, gaining a reputation as a reliable, stylish, accessible compact car enjoyed by a wide cross-section of customers. The new Micra has been designed to build on that trend – in 160 countries.

“Combine 25 years’ experience of designing compact cars for city driving… with a totally new, versatile platform and Nissan production know-how… and the result is modern, simple and destined to be a serious competitor on the world stage,” said Carlos Ghosn,during the car’s reveal.

At a glance:

* Spacious interior allied to compact exterior dimensions

* All new 3-cylinder petrol engine including supercharged and direct injection version with emissions of 95g/km to be added to the line up later

* New Continuously Variable Transmission with world-first technology

* All new Versatile platform conceived to be light weight

* New Micra to be sold in 160 countries and manufactured in four different plants

Developed and built on Nissan’s all-new V-platform, which was developed under a comprehensive new production engineering process, the new Micra was designed and tested in Japan to be built in at least four overseas locations, and fine-tuned to meet the differing tastes and needs of customers in 160 countries worldwide. Breaking with traditions that focused on launching production in established markets like Europe and Japan, Nissan will base production of the new Micra at overseas manufacturing sites such as Thailand, India, Mexico and China.

Design

“The car has to charm a global audience,” comments Makoto Yamane, Associate Product Chief Designer. “Its face had to look stylish and have an air of sophistication to it..” A unique design feature of this car – its double-layer integrated grille – meets these requirements. But the car’s classic shape was also crucial. That’s why it also employs a stylised version of the distinctive arched side window line, something that is central to the Micra’s heritage, identity and appeal in Europe and Japan.

Retaining its compact dimensions, the new car is slightly longer and marginally lower, while its longer wheelbase enables a ‘wheels-at-each-corner’ stance, the main reason behind the Micra’s roomier interior. The boomerang-shaped grooves on the roof have a clearly defined purpose too, continues Yamane. Aiming to create the same sense of exterior style inside the car, Nissan has employed a ‘connected cocoon’ design featuring a dashboard design which takes on a ‘twin bubble’ theme. This refers to the circular instrumentation binnacle and the similarly shaped glovebox compartment on the passenger side.

All-new Engine and CVT

In Europe, a simple engine line-up sees just two engines options – both are variations on Nissan’s all-new naturally aspirated HR12 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine. Inheriting its DNA from the HR16 4-cylinder engine powering the Note and Qashqai, the new engine employs valve-timing control (VTC). Power is rated at 59kW (80ps, while torque output is 108Nm. At only 115g/km, CO2emissions for this version are world-class.

In addition to the new normally aspirated engine, Nissan will also offer a supercharged 1.2-litre direct injection iteration with a start-stop system fitted as standard in Europe. These technological innovations – stop-start reduces CO2 by six per cent – combine to offer spirited performance, with outputs of 72kW (98PS) and 142Nm of torque. Emissions will be just 95g/km, an exceptional achievement for a petrol engine.

Both engine options in Europe are available with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or Nissan’s all-new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The wide gear coverage enables the 1.2-litre engine to achieve the economy of a 1.0-litre as well as brisk acceleration.

Not satisified merely improving performance levels, engineers excelled in developing ride and handling characteristics which combine agility, refinement and poise. Mounted onto Nissan’s new signature V-platform, the suspension has been designed to be both compact, minimising intrusion at the rear for maximum trunk space, but not at the expense of the car’s on-road dynamics. Particular attention has been paid to bump absorption, meaning that the Micra will ride serenely over challenging road surfaces, not suffer from wallow or float, and cruise effortlessly at highway speeds.

Comfort, function and equipment

In contrast to its high speed capability, the car also has superb visibility and a class-topping turning radius of 4.5m and several new technologies that assist with minimising CO2 emissions and mileage while at the same time making parking easier.

Globally, equipment levels differ by market, but the new Micra is available with some key technological innovations which are designed to simplify day-to-day life for its owners.

The new Micra is available with reversing sensors and a new ‘parking space measurement’ (PSM) device with three skill levels (amateur, normal and expert) to lessen the burden of parking in tight spaces – a unique feature in this segment, and likely to be a popular innovation in Europe where ‘touch parking’ is a way of life.

It also offers an Intelligent Key, Nissan Connect, Nissan’s accessible touch-screen combined audio and satellite navigation system, glass roof, automatic wipers, speed sensitive volume on the audio, a push button start-stop system in addition to a drive computer which supplies drivers with real time fuel economy information, cruising range and outside temperature. On the security side, the car is also fitted with a speed-sensitive automatic door locking system.

Safety

The incorporation of the V-platform is one major factor contributing to the car’s improved impactsafety. The car is designed to absorb the forces of a frontal impact, thanks to the sophisticated crumple zones, while maintaining cabin integrity due to its highly reinforced body shell.In Europe, the Micra will be fitted with ABS, dual front airbags, curtain and side airbags, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP)and pretensioner seatbelts as standard equipment.

Simon Thomas, Nissan’s European Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing, said: “The new Micra will continue to be the benchmark city car in Europe. Its appeal will be enhanced by its unique combination of compact exterior dimensions, with roomy interior, small and efficient engines, and user-friendly technology. Its continued icon status is destined to be be reinforced in its fourth generation.”

Sales will begin in Thailand in March, with European sales starting in the autumn.

Will the Indian Version have CVT? Right now, there is no competition to i10 automatic [in small car segment].

OT: Any other new small car launch expected with Automatic Transmission?

Regards!

It seems to be a A-star sized hatch. We all know thats not a good thing. You can have a fair idea of how narrow the car is by looking at the dashboard shot. And is it just me or is it that the styling both outside and inside is a bit "different"(weird).

So from the above article, the petrol engine options which will be available are--

1) Naturally aspirated 1.2L , 3 Cyl., 79bhp, 108Nm torque
2) Supercharged 1.2L, 3 Cyl. , 97bhp, 142Nm torque

We poor folks in India will most likely get the non supercharged version as usual.:Frustrati


IMHO the previous gen Micra had a much better looking interior. Or should I say less "egg" like. lol: