The Japanese automaker Nissan has been pretty busy lately – on both shores of the big pond, aka the Atlantic Ocean. And, given the reveals, we are not complaining one bit.
Over in the United States, the company has quickly announced the pricing strategy for the 2024 Z sports car, which is more expensive to boot as the base version starts from $42,210. It's still marginally more accessible (not to mention higher-powered) than a 2024 Toyota GR Supra 2.0. However, the good news ends here, as the excellent 2024 Nissan Z Nismo starts from a resounding $65k, making it more expensive than a 453-hp BMW M2!
Over on the Old Continent, meanwhile, NDE – Nissan Design Europe – is celebrating its 20th anniversary with its own dreams of sports car greatness. Only that their vision is a bit conceptual, of course, given the prototype nature of the Nissan Concept 20-23 – a sporty electric city car posing as a pocket-sized hot hatchback. With its minimalist looks, some would say it looks ready for Cyberpunk 2077.
On the other hand, others will come down from cloud number nine and relate to something far less cooler yet part of the real world – is this the preview for the upcoming sixth-generation Nissan Micra? Since the current Micra has been out and about since late 2016, it makes sense to expect a new iteration. And we sure hope that it's a lot closer to the Nissan Concept 20-23 rather than a potential rebadge of the fifth-gen Renault Clio like the all-new Colt (shamefully) turned out.
Anyway, the Nissan Concept 20-23 has all the makings of a hot hatchback – including a widebody aerodynamic kit, a thoroughly stanced allure, crazy doors, plus a spaceship-like cockpit. On the other hand, an all-new Nissan Micra based on this prototype would look strikingly toned down as it gets rid of the fancy schmancy aero work, gains a standard ride height and smaller wheels, plus a regular, contemporary interior.
Alas, that doesn't mean it has to turn into a boring Mitsubishi Colt. At least not across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators – if we trust the virtual artist behind Larson Design (aka lars_o_saeltzer on social media), who brings to life his CGI vision of the next Nissan Micra based on Concept 20-23. His work is clearly based on the profile of the Renault Clio but also doesn't fall into Mitsubishi's Colt trap of looking like a cow in a sea of grass.
Instead, his rendering takes all the best elements from both models – the Renault Clio's general dimensions and the quirky prototype's new design elements. Plus, it's also completely electric, so it would be pretty easy to assume the next Micra could borrow the powertrain from the upcoming Renault 5 EV. From then on, it's just a small step to imagine a Nissan Micra EV Nismo could also be in the works with DNA from the Alpine A290_β version!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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