Indian Autos blog » New Nissan Micra/March

Rendering – Nissan Micra sedan

Jaz — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:50:39 +0000

The Micra sedan should compete with Ford Fiesta and Honda City

We know Nissan will build a sedan on the Nissan Micra's platform in the Chennai plant along with a MPV. Here's a rendering showing how the sedan will look like. It is said to compete with the likes of the Honda City, Ford Fiesta etc when it hits showroom floors in the first quarter of 2011. The sedan will get a 1.5-liter engine (petrol or diesel yet to be confirmed) and the dimensions are 4200-4390*1690*1490 MM (L*W*H) India, China, Thailand and other 1 undisclosed country will see production happening locally. The sedan will be very affordable and sporty. The car could debut by the end of this year in any of the international auto shows.

We’re back from the Nissan plant with Micra pics!

Jaz — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:28:37 +0000

The new Nissan Micra was shown to us for the first time. It is solid and attractive

The Renault Nissan plant at Oragadam Chennai was inagurated today in the presence of the chief minister and deputy chief minister of Chennai. The plant is 650 acres in size and can produce up to 400,000 cars a year. We'll discuss in depth about the visit in a post later today. For now let us show you live pictures of the new Nissan Micra on Indian soil for the first ever time! click through for images

New Images of Nissan Micra from Thailand

Jaz — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:37:54 +0000

We assume we're hours away from seeing the new Nissan Micra at the Oragadam facility in Chennai. While high anticipation prevails in camp IAB, another part of the world is getting ready for the launch of this small car. We're talking about Thailand which will get the Micra (they call it March) before anyone else in the world. Here are a few images from the press kits issues by Nissan in Thailand.

Nissan could show India spec Micra tomorrow at Chennai facility

Jaz — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:21:18 +0000

The new Nissan Micra is expected at the opening ceremony of the Chennai plant tomorrow

Nissan will inaugurate their Chennai plant tomorrow in Oragadam, Chennai. The plant has a maximum capacity of 400,000 units per annum. In the first two years, Nissan will ramp up production to 200,000 units. By 2014, they expect to reach full capacity. Along with the opening of the plant, the India-spec Nissan Micra could be shown to the media for the first time. IAB will be present on ground zero to bring you all the details. Our sources tell us Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan will go for a spin in a Tata Nano at the plant tomorrow. This will of course not be in front of the media. Ghosn could drive the Nano to get serious inputs on how the ULC should work. It needs to be better in all aspects to appeal to buyers.

Nissan Micra priced at 5.23 lakh rupees in Thailand

Jaz — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:37:40 +0000

The base variant Nissan Micra should be priced around 4.25 lakh rupees in India

We don't know if the prices of the all-new Nissan Micra in Thailand holds any relevance to the Indian scene, but we can take a clue from the announcement - Nissan isn't going for the Figo territory with its new hatch. We have learnt that the Thai Micra has airbags, ABS, EBD and Brake Assist as standard features. This indicates the pricing would begin somewhere close to 4.25 lakh rupees at most in India with all these features chopped off in the base variant. Nissan has also made it clear that it isn't willing to get into a price war with the Micra in India. Anyways coming back to the Micra launch. With a 4.5m turning radius, the Micra's is just 0.5m short of the legendary Tata Nano. That is quite a remarkable achievement for a car that is 3.72m long. The Micra comes in a choice of 6 colours – Brilliant Silver, Black Star, Crystal Lilac, Spring green, Sunlight orange and White pearl in Thailand. At launch 4 variants with 2 option packs are offered. You can buy the Micra in both manual and automatic transmission forms. Only the 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine is offered at launch which makes 79ps, while torque output is 108Nm. Click through for the press release and Image Slideshow

Spotted – Nissan Ad campaign in Thailand for Micra

Jaz — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:08:05 +0000

Nissan has begun going public about its upcoming March/Micra compact car

In Thailand, Nissan is gone up a gear for promoting the new Micra/March compact car. Ads featuring the car is becoming a regular sight in Thailand with the "Coming soon" text in the local language. Seen here is a wall poster with what possibly could be car's brand ambassador. Would Nissan do a Hyundai by roping in someone from Bollywood to promote the car? Nissan's all-new Micra will be manufactured at the company's Chennai facility. In the first phase, a 3-cylinder petrol engine displacing 1.2 liters is expected. It will be mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Diesel variants are expected in the future. Nissan has not revealed the dimensions of the Micra, but we expect it to be in the size range of the Hyundai i10. Production will start in May and the car will be in Indian dealer showrooms by the end of July.

Nissan Micra – High resolution Images

Jaz — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:52:35 +0000

The new Micra's dashboard is well laid out, but price is not going to be less

Here at IAB, we're not very sure about the size of the new Nissan Micra. We're expecting it to be slightly bigger than the Chevrolet Beat. Wheelosphere is reporting that India gets a detuned petrol engine that delivers better fuel economy, black interiors, ABS, Airbags and push-buttom start. All the other gizmos will be there, but those fully loaded cars will be on ships sailing towards other countries. Colin Dodge, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Company -

There are some strange things going on in India with some companies entering into a price war. I can tell you that’s not the road we want to go down. We won’t sell our Micra cheap and if that is not accepted in India then we will ship them to some other market where people are willing to pay for them

I can't agree more with what Wheelosphere has published on their blog. Listen to what they've said Wheelosphere -

Now, the million dollar question – Will the Micra sell in India? The bland looks, poor dealership network take the game away although the quality, powertrain refinement and ride quality balance that, which leaves us with the price – if priced well (which is highly improbable considering Colin Dodge’s remarks), the Micra could succeed in India, otherwise Nissan might just remain a spectator while other brands take over the market.

I don't think Nissan is equipped to handle success in India. Their dealership network is not very strong and indications of normal pricing give rise to many doubts. Nissan should ramp up their dealer network and introduce the diesel model as early as possible. click through to view slideshow

Nissan unveils the all-new Micra at Geneva

Jaz — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Nissan has taken the covers off the new Micra based on the V-Platform in Geneva moments ago. The new model is slightly bigger than the outgoing version and will use a 1.2-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine. The car will also feature supercharging and direct injection at a later date, so it is apt to call this the VW Polo slayer. It will be manufactured in India starting May 2010 and the car will be on the market in July 2010. The new Nissan Micra will be sold in 160 countries. click through for more details

Leaked – New Nissan Micra interior

Jaz — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:26:34 +0000

The next generation Nissan Micra has small seats but airy greenhouse

The next generation Nissan Micra will be unveiled tomorrow at the Geneva Motor Show. But what if you're impatient and dying for an early glimpse? Read on then. The new Nissan Micra will enter the Indian market in July this year with a 1.2-liter 3 cylinder petrol engine and 5-speed manual transmission. The new Nissan Micra will be produced at the company's Chennai facility. Going by what little we can see in the picture, the next generation Micra is suitable for two well built males and two young women. The seats don't look very big, but the headroom is decent. We expect the Micra to be similar in size to the Chevrolet Beat. We will bring you images and information of the new Nissan Micra from the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow.

More Nissan Micra details, images pop up; CVT listed (video)

Jaz — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:47:18 +0000

The story of the Nissan Micra/March keeps getting better. The new video released on the Nissan media site clearly conveys how seriously the company has approached their newest creation. This is also their first compact car in India, and if the promises are really delivered, the standards are going to be pretty high. Based on an all-new V Platform, the Micra for a start will get a 1.2-liter 3 pot gasoline engine. Six months down the line, sources have indicated a 1.5-liter diesel engine will be listed. For India, Nissan could consider putting in something like a 1.3-liter engine, but nothing concrete has emerged from anywhere. Coming back to the petrol motor, a newly developed CVT (continuously variable transmission) features a "sub-planetary" gear that allows for a very wide gear ratio of 7.3. The new Micra/March will be unveiled at the Geneva auto show on March 2nd. The car enters the Indian market around the month of July. Production will begin in May at the Oragadam plant in Chennai. A new batch of spyshots have been posted, thanks to Headlight Magazine's eagle-eyed readers.

Nissan testing Micra in Chennai; have you spotted a mule?

Jaz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:39:04 +0000

The Nissan Micra test mule spotted was close to the one shown above

Our friends and fellow petrolheads have all seen a new Nissan Micra hatchback being tested in Chennai with taping and heavy black camouflage. The new Micra is going to be produced at the company's plant in Oragadam, on the outskirts of Chennai. The Nissan Micra is initially said to come with a 1.2-liter petrol engine that will be a 3-cylinder in-line with 74hp output and 104Nm of torque. If you have photographs of thi vehicle or any other test mule for that matter, get in touch with me at editor(at)indianautosblog.com

New Nissan Micra caught while Ad filming

Jaz — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:58:33 +0000

Spy photographers in Australia have caught a new Nissan Micra desperately trying to hide itself from prying eyes during Ad filming. The photographs somewhat provide an idea about the design features on the new small car which debuts in India this year. Sitting on Nissan's new V-platform, the Micra is lighter and more efficient than its predecessors. Using a similar design approach, the Micra's trademark cuteness is retained. The curves, large grille, small brake light cluster and side profile of the car have been preserved. A 3-cylinder 1.2-liter engine with 74hp output and 104Nm of torque is rumored, while a diesel engine is said to follow six months from the time of launch. The Micra will make its International Debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Production of the car begins on the third week of May in Oragadam, Chennai.

Leaked? Nissan Micra 1.2-liter engine details

Jaz — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:19:36 +0000

Autoincar, a blog publishing worthy information time and again on Nissan, has carried a post revealing details of the upcoming 1.2-liter engine on the Nissan Micra. The Nissan Micra's production begins in the third week of May this year at Oragadam, Chennai. The Micra will also be produced in other countries including China as a variant of the V-Platform. Details - Engine name - HR12DE No.of.Cylinders - 3 Cylinders Displacement - 1,198 cc Power Output - 74 HP (54 KW) Torque - 104 Nm Fuel Consumption (claim) - 26 km/litre If Autoincar has nailed it, then the Micra isn't the most powerful hatch around here in India. The 26kmpl figure is what sends us into a frenzy. We will wait for official confirmation to comment further.