First Look At The 2011 Nissan Micra

Today was the unveiling of the all-new fourth-generation Nissan Micra. A global subcompact destined for sale in over 160 countries, the Micra will make its way to the U.S. as well.

Powering the 2011 Nissan Micra is a standard 80 horsepower three cylinder engine. A more powerful 98 horsepower unit will also be available. The specs of the U.S.-bound Micra are not yet known so the three cylinder engine lineup may not become available here.

The Nissan Micra is intended to be a simple, small car, without the pretense of speed or luxury. That being said, the Micra is not without its fair share of style and sophistication, but upholding its reputation as a reliable and accessible compact car remained the priority during the car’s redesign. Subcompacts are popular with city dwellers, Nissan Framingham says.

“The car has to charm a global audience,” comments Makoto Yamane, Associate Product Chief Designer. “Its face had to look stylish and have an air of sophistication to it..”

Nissan CEO Carols Ghosn was also present for the Micra’s debut. Admitting that Nissan has previously been weak in the compact car segment, he stressed that the new platform that underpins the Micra changes everything and makes getting a Boston Nissan Loan easier because of the price.

“Our next compact cars are in the pipeline,” said Ghosn. “In the past, Nissan had a minimal presence in the compact segment because we did not have a specific platform suited for those customers’ needs. Now we will be able to compete, and at the highest level. Our new lineup of compact cars will help to increase Nissan’s global market presence from 80% today to 94% in 2012.”

Although the Nissan Micra is less radically designed than recent small cars from Toyota, Ford, and even Chevrolet, the Micra represents the ultimate package in terms of value for customers in the UK, or India, or China, or even in the U.S. Bottom line is that ultra compact cars are still in high demand, and Washington DC Nissan dealers hope to see more compacts arrive soon.

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