Nissan Micra News

...previews the company's next mainstream B-segment (light) contender to be sold alongside the Micra city car and Juke crossover.Nissan Invitation is based on the Micra platform and is due to be launched in the UK from 2013.It looks a lot like the current Honda Jazz from the front and along the sides. Nissan claims the Invitation has class-leading aerodynamics for enhanced efficiency.The cabin has been designed featuring purposeful technology features. The car combines advanced engine technology, Nissan's lightweight platform and an aerodynamically efficient body to achieve class-leading levels of fuel efficiency and emissions.The concept car packs some of the most advanced technology ever seen in the B-segment, all of which is designed to ensure it is as safe as possible.Among the features is Nissan's advanced Around View Monitor (AVM) safety technology seen for the first time on a B-segment car which makes reversing and parallel parking as stress-free as possible.

Hundreds of new and updated cars arrive in Australia each year but only one is good enough to make the honour role for Carsguide COTY.This time around the prize fight is tougher than ever, with new arrivals for 2011 covering every size and price class, from the ordinary Chery J1 from China to the exotic Ferrari 458 Italia from Italy. Neither of them makes the COTY cut, but that's another story ...The reach for COTY 2011 contenders actually stretches back to the final months of last year, to include a couple of cars that just missed the 2011 cutoff, and this time around the newcomers must have hit showrooms by December 1.So, unfortunately, the all-new Toyota Camry is a non-starter. It's the same for the make-or-break four-cylinder Falcon.But the class of 2011 covers all the bases, from affordable mini cars through family and prestige cars to a hot new coupe. The hopefuls come from Europe, Asia and Japan, as well as right home in Australia.Setting the field for 2011 was not easy, particularly with the outgoing champion - the Volkswagen Polo - still casting a considerable shadow.But each of the COTY judges, who cover the Carsguide contenders and drive them in all conditions from coast to coast, has called up their personal favourites from Alfa Romeo through to Volkswagen to help guide the selection process.Then it is the final cull by the COTY veterans to produce the top 10 for a gruelling two-day shootout to consider everything from design and safety through to value and their driving ability on a wide range of roads from Ford's You Yangs proving ground to freeways, suburban streets and gravel roads on the outskirts of Melbourne.The field is set, the race is about to be run, but we cannot get ahead of ourselves.So here are the 10 COTY contenders ... now it's over to the judges: 

  Here the price is king, with everything else - from comfort to safety, style to audio system - falling in behind. Push the price too far and the domino effect upends all these other factors and as a finale, pours cold weater over buyer appeal. It's vital to get it right. Light cars have become an ominous pointer to the future of localised transport amidst dense traffic conditions and premium-priced parking. They are impossible to miss, existing on our current roadscape aside SUVs and utes, big sedans and even compact hatchbacks, darting into forgotten gaps in the freeway crawl and pinching the last parking bay in an impossible corner of the underground city carpark. Many adjectives have been thrown at the Micra and some smell as sweet as the cash savings promised on the car's fuel bill while others are derogatory slights at its amusing body style. This is the second of the new-wave Micras, replacing a 1990s boxy UK-built model and following - since 2007 - the almost frog-like curves of the new generation that is now built, at least formally, in Thailand. Formally because Australia is supposed to get the Micra from Thailand after importing the previous car from the UK became cripplingly expensive. And formally because the recent floods in Thailand have severely affected the supply of components so the car will comes, at least temporarily, from Japan. Sales since the remake of the model early this year have been brisk - at least in comparison to the previous model that was criticised for being too weird to park safely in a home driveway - at almost 8000 year-to-date, up 16.4 per cent on 2010. But the transition to the latest 2011 version comes with a lot of downsides. Referred to by one judge as being "the avocado" and "Kermit cute" - a reference to the test car's colour - the newest Micra loses points for its poor quality dashboard and associated cabin trim., The hard plastic is common in the Micra's sub-$15,000 bracket, but most do it with some level of pride. The Micra's dash panels were ill-fitting and competed with the cheap-looking and flimsy covering for the boot and the confidence-deflating tinny sound of the closing doors. On the road it's a trier. The 1.2-litre three-cylinder verson was optioned with a four-speed automatic and the pair didn't do each othr any favours. Performance was adequate and would be ideal for city and inner suburban commuting but on the open road tired with any incline, wheezed when more than one adult was aboard and laboured noisily when pushed hard in each gear. But, surprisingly, it held on well through the corners and there was adequate grip towards the limit. It's not something we expected and are unlikely to willingly repeat the test, but it shows that the chassis isn't too bad. But it's the price and the low running costs that win here, though the car also proves to rate reasonably high in the safety sakes with a four-star crash rating, six airbags and electronic stability control. There's even a full-size spare tyre beneath a thinly covered, yet quite cavernous, boot. It will seat four adults and has a decent audio system and would make an ideal first car or second car for the city commuter. Fun? Maybe. In this demanding Carsguide Car of the Year environment, it's placement in the Top 10 is worthy. It's relegatio n to the bottom of that list is - because price ultimately shouldn't be everything - is to be expected. Price: (as tested): $14,990 Engine: 1.2-litre, 3-cyl petrol, 56kW/100Nm Transmission: 4-speed auto; front drive Thirst: 6.5 L/100km; 154g/km CO2.

Small car sales were up more than 40 per cent last month as the industry tracks to a bumper one million-plus sales year. Budget buys continue to dominate, filling out seven of the top 10 sales spots in April.South Korean importer Hyundai was one of the stars, recording 16 consecutive months of month-on-month sales growth. Its sales are up 65 per cent this year. Hyundai's budget sub-$15,000 Getz and i30 hatch, which starts around $20,300, are the big sellers. Spokesman, Stephen Howard, said more buyers are chasing value for money with small cars. "And that's our whole philosophy," he said.Toyota's HiLux ute was the No1 seller last month, beating the Holden Commodore by just 254 cars. Despite the popularity of the workman's ute, the home-grown Holden remains the country's top selling family sedan. More than 14,500 Commodores have been sold this year.Solid sales delivered the second highest April result on record. Figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show that 81,401 vehicles were sold last month, up 27 per cent on the same month in 2009. FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said most segments were strong."It is certainly very encouraging and shows the competition between the brands is intense," he said. "But challenges still remain."McKellar warns that interest rate increases could dampen demand in coming months. "However, the industry is hopeful that they are now at a level where further increases will be more difficult to justify," he said.Toyota holds on to its top selling position with a market share of 20.5 per cent. Holden is in second spot with 12.2 per cent and Ford third with 10.1 per cent. This year-to-date, 333,228 vehicles have been sold.Top 10 sellers1 Toyota HiLux 34192 Holden Commodore 31653 Mazda3 30794 Toyota Corolla 28295 Ford Falcon 27636 Holden Cruze 25147 Hyundai i30 24838 Hyundai Getz 21929 Mitsubishi Lancer 191210 Toyota Yaris 1799

Europe is back in business, celebrating the end of the global financial crisis that rocked the car world and drove the biggest of them all - General Motors - into bankruptcy.There were green shoots of happiness at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 2009, but this week's Geneva Motor Show shows the same sort of excitement and promise of an early spring morning in Europe.Every carmaker has something new in Geneva, from full-blown production models to quirky concepts. The Swiss show is often dismissed as a sideshow but this time, with 25 new models as diverse as the Nissan Micra and Porsche Cayenne, there is serious action on every front.Carmakers are predictably focussed on green solutions to meet the challenges of fuel economy and CO2 emissions - with Fiat even showing a tiny two-cylinder engine for its funkoid 500 - but there is also room for fun.  How else do you describe a Honda city concept that looks like a 20th-century take on the unicycles used by Circe du Soleil acrobats?But even the green machines have turned mean as Ferrari shows its 599 Vettura Labratorio hybrid, although BYD from China balanced things with its fully-electric E6 hatch.Porsche also has its 918 supercar concept and both it and the Ferrari tap Formula One technology with KERS hybrid packs - that's Kinetic Energy Recovery System - to store energy for a quick, explosive boost of extra power.Porsche plans to put the 918 into production but, as yet, Ferrari is only using the super-special 599 - painted symbolically in green instead of the Italian brand's signature red - as a rolling labratory.  "We want to understand how to use this technology. We are not yet at the point to see it in a road going Ferrari," says Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari's CEO.The upbeat mood at Geneva is captured by the top man at Bentley, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, who says the reaction to his company's Mulsanne and Supersports models has filled him with confidence after a shocking 2009.  "There is a feeling that it is behind us," Paefgen says as super-wealthy Bentley buyers emerge from their GFC-proof bunkers.Walking the stands at Geneva I see green machines that are more than just concepts and plenty of choices for small-car buyers, from budget hatches to baby prestige cars like the Audi A1.  The little Audi gets a rousing reception, Volvo wins praise for the safety and styling of the new S60 sedan and the Alfa Giulietta - replacement for the 147 - raises more questions about the often-promised renaissance for the brand.Lexus shows a compact new CT200h hybrid that brings petrol-electric power to a new group of buyers, Mini has the Countryman with extra ground clearance and the basics for a World Rally Championship challenge in 2011, and the Mitsubishi ASX crossover - test driven this week by Peter Lyon near Tokyo - heads the Japanese contingent.For Alfa fans, the Giulietta is pitched at the Volkswagen Golf with a range of 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines.  BMW’s new 5 Series and a 4-litre six-cylinder X5 diesel creates a predictable buzz among SUV fans.Kia’s head of design, Peter Schreyer, lifts the wraps off the stylish new Sportage, which is due in Australia later this year, with the promise of both turbodiesel and petrol engines, as well as front and all-wheel drive.  The Sportage could be major hit for the Korean brand, matching the impact of the Hyundai ix35, when it goes on sale with an opener in the sub-$30,000 bracket.Ford leverages the first European appearance of its new Focus hatch in Geneva by unveiling the Focus wagon, which at this stage is a Europe-only car. Europeans are big wagon buyers and the wagon is expected to account for one-third of all Focus sales there.But the Focus wagon is only the halfway point - the fifth of 10 proposed models - using the same basic building blocks and the future includes a Focus electric car. Currently, the wagon, hatch, sedan and C-Max and Grand C-Max all share the same underpinnings.“We are now using our global resources to develop cars for all countries, including Australia,” says Ford's technical chief, Derrick Kuzak.  He also reveals the current Europe-only Kuga compact SUV and North American Escape will be replaced by a single global car, which could head to Australia, and hints that a hot performance Focus with a more-powerful version of Ford’s 2.0-litre Ecoboost turbo engine will also be available in Australia.Lexus uses Geneva to showcase its critically important CT 200h hybrid, which it hopes to become a volume player.  But the CT 200h is not the only car to push the green theme at the affordable end.Hyundai has the stylish turbocharged 1.7-litre i-flow concept sedan, which uses a lithium-ion battery pack with six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and it is joined by the ix35 FCEV hydrogen fuel-cell car and Opel’s Flextreme GT-E.Apart from Ferrari, Porsche shows off its GT3 R Hybrid - also with KERS - and 918 Spyder, both exploring the outer limits of hybrid drivetrains for race and road cars.  The Cayenne, along with the VW Touareg, share their hybrid debuts as Audi uses the first appearance of its baby A1 to reveal a full-electric E-tron concept that joins earlier R8-based plug-in supercars.Apart from the conventional petrol and diesel A1, Audi also adds the RS5 coupe to its A5 lineup and a hybrid A8 sedan. The RS5 gets a powerful 335kW/430Nm 4.2-litre V8, quattro all-wheel drive and seven-speed S-tronic dual clutch gearbox.Like the BMW-built Mini, Audi has several distinctly styled A1s on its stand. It says owners will have access to so much customisation that no two A1s will be exactly the same.Audi has the Mini firmly in its sights with an expected starting price around $33,000 for the A1, with a three-door car to kick of sales with a five-door and cabrio expected. The range-topper is expected to be an S version with a performance-tuned turbo four cylinder engine.Citroen springs one of the few real surprises of the show with its hot-pink Survolt sportscar while Giugiaro teams up with Proton to deliver a stylish hybrid city car.  The Survolt is a pure design fantasy with no likely production expected. The showcar did not even have an engine and Citroen says it has been designed to go electric.Apart from the sleek Citroen, two Italian styling houses - Pininfarina and Bertone - have show cars based on Alfa Romeo mechanical parts. Bertone returns to Geneva for the first time in two years with the Pandion 2+2 concept coupe and Pininfarina shows the two-seater 2uettottanta.Apart from the twin concepts, Citroen has the DS3 Racing as well as its DS High Rider three door, a pointer to the next-generation C4, which is due to be launched next year as a five-door.  The company will only build 1000 versions of the DS3 racing and the head of local importer Ateco Automotive, Neville Crichton, says he would like to bring a few to Australia but will initially focus on launching the DS range.“It certainly is a good looking thing,” Crichton says.  Mercedes-Benz continues to create a buzz at Geneva with its SLS Gullwing supercar but the F800 Style, a pointer to the next-generation CLS minus its cantilever rear doors, dominates the Mercedes stand and shares the limelight with the E-Class cabriolet.Fitting in the quirky category in Geneva is Aston Martin’s Cygnet hatch, a remake of Toyota’s iQ city car. The $50,000 makeover model will only be sold to existing Aston Martin customers.  Aston Martin boldly has the Cygnet right next to its four-door flagship sports car, the Rapide.

As these sketches show, the peppy new Micra is evolving and Nissan Australia has bigger plans for the little hatch.Unlike the current Micra, which is available as a single four-door 1.4-litre for $15,990, the Japanese carmaker is looking to expand the model makeup. That means a three-door, as well as a cheaper manual model, are on the cards.In other markets the current car is also available with 1.2-litre or 1.6-litre four-cylinder engines. However, Nissan Australia spokesman, Jeff Fisher, is coy on predictions of just what models will arrive or the likely engines. "We'll have a manual but a three door? I'm not sure about that," he says.Nissan's newest mini will be critical in helping the company's push to becoming the leading import brand over the next three years. Nissan Australia managing director, Dan Thompson, has set the challenge to be the number 1 importer by 2012.The car is set to hit local showrooms late next year after debuting at the Geneva Motor Show in March. As the images show, the Micra does not deviate too much from the proven cheeky design formula of the current car. It will retain the similar compact dimensions but is expected to get slightly more cabin room, will be safer and better equipped. Nissan may also choose to leverage its Renault ties by introducing an small ultra-frugal turbo-diesel.Fisher says the new Micra will be a much more significant player for the brand than the current car, which is consistently selling about 500 a month. "It's been a good performer," Fisher says. "In fact it has outperformed our forecasts."Nissan Australia reintroduced the Micra badge in 2007 after a lacklustre foray into the local market back in the mid-1990s ."The whole idea of the current car was to get people more aware of the name and we were able to get it at a knockout price," Fisher says.Apart from the sketches, few other details are known, but Nissan has confirmed that it will go into production alongside the Tiida in Thailand from next March. It will also be built in India, where Suzuki sources its micro Alto hatch, as well as China. "There are a couple of possibilities about sourcing," Fisher says.The next-generation Micra, along with the front-drive Dualis and replacement for the Tiida hatch, are part of Nissan's bid to overtake Mazda, Hyundai and Mitsubishi as the country's favourite all-import brand. However, Fisher says the current Tiida will soldier on for a few years. He also hosed down speculation that the next-generation small hatch and sedan would revert to the better known Pulsar name of the previous car. 

New-car buyers have a unique opportunity to bargain with dealers as the industry weathers a perfect storm of plummeting demand, rising costs and fallout from the credit crunch.“Right now, it's an epic fire sale. We'll never see this repeated,” Channel Nine motoring expert and consultant John Cadogan said.“If you've got the money, now is the time to buy. It won't be this good again.”Some brands are offering huge incentives, including extended warranty, free on-road costs and price reductions running from $1000 to more than $10,000.Mr Cadogan said that for a determined buyer these were merely the beginning.“The basic formula for getting a discount is to ask for the drive-away price, subtract 15 per cent and offer that,” he said.“If they won't be in it go somewhere else, because some dealer somewhere will trade in for that sort of discount. Be prepared to compromise on colour and trim if you have to.“And even if it's not the make you want, you will get the same sort of car.“The only caveat is that the car has to be in stock.“When it's on the floor, the dealer is paying the finance cost of owning it because he has to buy it from the manufacturer.”AMP chief economist Dr Shane Oliver said car sales were “in the process of falling off a cliff”.“Given the urgency with which some dealers need to get rid of their stock rather than have it repossessed, there are bargains out there,” Dr Oliver said.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew Mackeller said brands are “doing what they can to clear the decks. There are excellent deals to be had on 2008-plated stock.”The window will not be open for long.The Australian dollar's dramatic plunge against major currencies will soon bite hard, forcing prices to rise.For the moment, dealers disadvantaged by the credit crunch and the market downturn seek to urgently shift stock.This buyer's market has been brought about by a downturn in car sales so dramatic that Holden has suspended production at its Adelaide plant for the first three months of 2009.New-car sales for October were down by more than 10,000 units on the same month in 2007.Dealers have also been hit by the withdrawal from the car market of financiers GE Money and General Motors Acceptance Corporation. This has caused a funding shortfall of about $2 billion which affects as many as 30 per cent of the nation's dealerships. 10 TIPS TO A GREAT DEAL* Look for slow-selling models* Look for 2008-build models* Compare prices from dealers* Go for a car that's in the showroom _ these are the ones the dealer needs to get rid of* Big, thirsty cars are unpopular, but the savings on the purchase price can equal a year's worth of fuel* Demand the driveaway price and offer under that* Demand extended warranty and on-road costs* Lean hard on the dealer to include optional extras* Compromise on colour and trim and even make in order to save big* Be ready to walk away there's no lack of competition out there START HERE AND THEN OFFER 15 PER CENT LESS ...HONDA ODYSSEY: $39,290 (Driveaway)MITSUBISHI LANCER: $20,990 (with $2008 cashback)HYUNDAI ELANTRA: $19,990 (Driveaway plus $1000 gift card)NISSAN MICRA: $14,990 (Free on-roads) 

The Japanese factory that produces the Nissan Micra and the 350Z for Australia — and will soon send us the “Godzilla” GT-R, which has just rolled its 15 millionth car down the line.Nissan's Oppama factory reached the milestone on December 19, 46 years after it opened as Japan's first full-scale passenger car plant.Oppama was also the first to use welding robots, in 1970, and one of the earliest to introduce a mixed production line that allows different cars to be built at the same time.From 1993-1997, Oppama also produced the imported Bluebird that replaced the previous Australian-built model.It now builds seven models; March, which we get as the Micra, Cube, Cube Cubic, Tiida, Tiida Latio, Note and Bluebird Sylphy.The plant complex includes the Oppama Wharf, which handles up to 80,000 vehicles a month, as well as the Nissan Research Centre, Global Training Centre and Gran Drive proving ground.Oppama's relative closeness to Australia has been a strong factor in cutting the waiting time for local orders, Nissan Australia spokesman Jeff Fisher says.“Shipments from Japan reach us more quickly, so it shortens supply times,” he says.“And if body colour is a big factor of an order, which it is in Micra we want to be able to react to that quickly.”Oppama's location and its cost-effective production plan could also have been a contributing factor in the company reintroducing the Micra here.Even with a stable and strong dollar, Nissan Australia CEO Shinya Hannya admits the little car had only a slim profit margin.That would have been shaved further by the extra cost to ship cars from the other Micra production site in Britain.The 15-millionth car built at Oppama was a Tiida.But it is not coming to Australia because our Tiida cars are made in Thailand, and instead is being shipped to Africa.  

Nissan’s Micra is back. After a few years away, Nissan has reintroduced its entry level hatch with a distinctive look and a starting price of $14,990.A standard 72kW 1.4-litre engine matched with a four-speed automatic, other features include air-con, keyless entry, power windows and mirrors, MP3 compatible CD, and the safety double of dual airbags and ABS.A $1700 option pack adds dual side and curtain airbags, six-CD stacker and 15-inch alloys. The dramatic styling and bold colours; pink is on the Sydney Motor Show stand, which marks the Micra as a stand-out in both spec and price.A little larger is Nissan’s Dualis, a compact five-door crossover that’s smaller than X-Trail, Murano and Patrol.Dimensionally, DUALIS sits between small car hatchbacks and SUVs, it runs a 2.0-litre four-cylinder with 102kW with a six-speed manual or CVT with six-speed manual mode. Its all-wheel drive system has three modes selected via a switch, from two-wheel drive to 50:50 4WD. Prices start from $28,990 for ST up to $35,990 for the Ti with CVT.Finally, Nissan’s new, larger X-Trail made its debut and the base ST model’s price remains at $31,990. Standard spec includes ESP, side airbags, air-con, 16-inFch wheels and Nissan’s intelligent 4x4-i system.The ST-L and Ti models get 17-inch alloys, climate control, six-CD stacker with MP3 compatibility, while a sunroof, heated seats and rear parking sensors are reserved for Ti. The ST-L is $35,990 while the Ti starts at $38,990. CVT is available on both models for an extra $2000. See these cars at the Australian International Motor Show  

  Batman's new car is here, its the futuristic Nissan Mixim, which will be rolled into the spotlight at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week. The Mixim will show what the Japanese carmaker can do to lure youngsters to the world of electric cars, even though the wild gull-wing body is draped over the basics of the Micra baby car. Nissan says the three-seater Mixim is a one-off show car, but there is more to the edgy coupe than its design. It runs on compact lithium-ion batteries, uses a pair of 'Super Motor' electric motor-generators at each end to give it all-wheel-drive, and is claimed to run hard with a useful range between plug-in top-ups. It will not be stretched at the Frankfurt show, but Nissan will still prove it is more than just a dream machine. The heart of the Mixim program is development of greener cars to get young people to buy into the future of motoring. That is why the cockpit is more like a gaming console, with the driver sitting in the centre and operating a wheel and controls that are more like a computer interface. The two passengers, sitting on either side, are just like spectators in an arcade. The shape is based on a sharp wedge body, a wrap-around windscreen inspired by the visor of a crash helmet, and gull-wing doors. The nose is closed because there is no radiator to feed, but the body has a big back end with a hatchback luggage cover. Though the Mixim is just for show, the Micra is getting closer to local showrooms. At Frankfurt, it will also be tweaked with a Colour+Concept show car dripping with liquid metal gold paint over a base of pearlescent white. There will also be a mild facelift of the showroom Mica, which is the car coming to Australia, including a new look for the headlamps, more chrome on the body, blacked-out B pillars and a new Bluetooth-compatible sound system and an essential iPod plug-in.