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  " ... we don't have a reason to import a car like the Invitation," says Nissan spokesman Jeff Fisher.

Australia has rejected an invitation from Nissan to get one of its new small cars.

Instead, the Invitation concept hatch - to be shown at next month's Geneva motor show - will become the replacement for the long-standing Europe-only Nissan Note hatchback.

Nissan Australia spokesman Jeff Fisher says the Invitation will remain in its European envelope.

"We have the Pulsar and Dualis and Micra here - we don't have a reason to import a car like the Invitation," he says. "We have previously done a lot of work on the Note to see if it would fit in our Australian line-up, but it doesn't work. So we haven't identified the concept car as joining our range."

The Invitation, which looks extraordinarily like a Honda Jazz, will be powered by one of Nissan's new low-emission engines under the Pure Drive label. Pure Drive is the company's name for high-efficiency systems and is the equivalent to the ECO2 range offered by associate company Renault.

Nissan will use the name to identify vehicles that emit less than 140g/km of CO2, including the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines fitted to the current Note and Micra in Europe.