The next generation Nissan Micra hatchback could dump its soft curves for a much sharper design

The current Nissan Micra hatchback with its curvy looks is made out to be a feminine car appealing more to the fairer sex. The next generation of the car though, could see an all new design, a design that could be much more sharper, to attract a wider range of car buyers. The next generation Micra is also expected to get more roomier than the current version. It remains to be seen whether all these changes will be effected on the same V-Platform that the current model is based on. Nissan and its alliance partner Renault make the Micra on the common-shared V-Platform.

2012 Nissan Micra hatchback used as an illustration

The Nissan Micra, it turns out has been a slow seller globally, which is said to be the main reason for the Japanese automaker to look at a big change in terms of design, to make the next generation of the car much more appealing than before. Nissan India has a major export operation going on from its Oragadam plant, off Chennai. The automaker exports the Micra hatchback to countries across the world from its Indian manufacturing facility, which gives it attractive cost savings. In fact, Nissan is perhaps the only car maker in India, to export more than its sells in the domestic market.

The current generation Nissan Micra hatchback is available with a 1.2 Liter, 80 Bhp-3 cylinder petrol engine along with a 1.5 Liter K9K, four cylinder, turbo diesel engine. The petrol engine with the three cylinder unit is a fuel efficient design and more so, is K9K turbo diesel engine, which is renowned for its minimal turbo lag and excellent driveability. Both the petrol and the diesel engined Micra sold in India are mated to five speed manual transmission units. In the coming months, Nissan India plans to introduce a cut price variant of the petrol engined Micra to boost sales.

In India, the Nissan Micra is also sold by Renault, albeit with rebadging and restyling, as the Pulse. That said, both the Micra and the Pulse have been slow sellers for their respective brands in India as well, primarily due to the optimistic prices at which they have been pegged at. The outstanding feature on both the Pulse and the Micra is that they are very easy to drive in the city, and this is particularly true of the diesel engined variants which with their minimal turbo lag are highly driveable.

Via Autocar.co.uk