When Nissan presented the Sway Concept at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the Japanese manufacturer highlighted that the experimental vehicle would serve as an inspiration for the design of its future products. One of those is the Nissan Micra. Now at its fourth generation, the Micra is due a renewal.
The spy photographers caught a prototype of the all-new Micra testing in sunny Spain, and you’d be hard pressed to distinguish the supermini from a black garbage bag. But then you look closer and it all comes clear. The V-motion front grille, the shape of the headlights, the kicked-up C-pillar, all of these design cues have been borrowed from the concept mentioned earlier.
Now take a good look at the shape of the hatch door and the taillights. It’s a toned-down version of the Nissan Sway Concept, which is good news for the Japanese manufacturer. You see, Nissan never had problems with selling the Micra in the European Union. The only thing that’s missing from the Micra is an exciting design, but all that will change by the third quarter.
Rumor has it the 2017 Nissan Micra will be presented in production guise at the 2016 Paris Motor Show in October. The timing makes sense and the departure in design from cutesy to striking does too. The all-new generation is based on the Nissan-Renault Alliance’s CMF B platform, a vehicle architecture that will also underpin the 2017 Nissan Juke and the 2017 Dacia Duster. The quality and fit and finish of the Micra will go up too because production is expected to shift from Chennai, India, to the Renault plant in Flins, France.
On the mechanical front, engine options will vary from three- to four-cylinder turbo units. It’s not yet known if the next-gen Nissan Micra is going to borrow engines from the Renault Clio IV, although I believe the 1.5 dCi turbo diesel is a likely candidate due to its torquey but frugal nature. On an ending note, our spies told us that the camouflaged 2017 Nissan Micra featured in the following gallery was benchmarked against a Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo, and Ford Fiesta. Need I say more about Nissan’s ambitions in the B-segment?
Now take a good look at the shape of the hatch door and the taillights. It’s a toned-down version of the Nissan Sway Concept, which is good news for the Japanese manufacturer. You see, Nissan never had problems with selling the Micra in the European Union. The only thing that’s missing from the Micra is an exciting design, but all that will change by the third quarter.
Rumor has it the 2017 Nissan Micra will be presented in production guise at the 2016 Paris Motor Show in October. The timing makes sense and the departure in design from cutesy to striking does too. The all-new generation is based on the Nissan-Renault Alliance’s CMF B platform, a vehicle architecture that will also underpin the 2017 Nissan Juke and the 2017 Dacia Duster. The quality and fit and finish of the Micra will go up too because production is expected to shift from Chennai, India, to the Renault plant in Flins, France.
On the mechanical front, engine options will vary from three- to four-cylinder turbo units. It’s not yet known if the next-gen Nissan Micra is going to borrow engines from the Renault Clio IV, although I believe the 1.5 dCi turbo diesel is a likely candidate due to its torquey but frugal nature. On an ending note, our spies told us that the camouflaged 2017 Nissan Micra featured in the following gallery was benchmarked against a Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo, and Ford Fiesta. Need I say more about Nissan’s ambitions in the B-segment?