Micra credit

After five years of sitting on the sidelines with a handful of X-Trails and Teanas, Nissan is finally getting its act together in India. At the core of Nissan’s hugely ambitious plans is its new global small car project, which could catapult the company into the thick end of the Indian car market.

Market Watch

India, along with Thailand and China, will be one of the initial three global production bases (two more factories will be added later) for all of Nissan’s new ‘V-platform’ vehicles, justifying deep localisation and drive down costs. Here, V stands for versatile. Of course, a big proportion of the baby Nissans will be exported but, it goes without saying that the cost benefit of such large volumes will give the domestic models a huge price advantage.

But what makes the V-platform special is that it has been designed primarily to make sense in emerging markets like India, while simultaneously being sophisticated enough for Western Europe. Engineered by Nissan in Japan, the V-platform project focuses on reductions in both weight and the number of components that make up future models.

The V-cars have 18 per cent fewer parts than Nissan’s previous small cars. The complete dashboard assembly is made up of just 28 parts instead of 56 and the seats are now made from 50 parts, down from 85. Weight reduction was also achieved by simplifying certain systems.

For example, the exhaust system is lighter than before and the fuel tank is of smaller capacity, which has shaved around 2kg of its weight. The instrument panel, which doesn’t require paint, is a unique weight- (and cost) saving technique Nissan has adopted. The V-platform will underpin cars up to 1600kg in weight with a maximum torque output of 20kgm. This means the largest engine fitted to the family of small cars will be a 1.5 diesel turbo.

Style File

The first three vehicles off the V-platform will be the new hatchback Micra, a small saloon and lastly, a mini-MPV. While the Micra and the saloon will be sold in India, the MPV may not be introduced into the market immediately and will initially be exported to Europe.

The first body style on the V-platform will be the Micra, which was unveiled to journalists, though no photography was allowed. However from company-released sketches and leaked line drawings, some computer-generated images have been doing the rounds that reveal a shape that is cute and appealing.

However, the simple, rounded lines lack the design flair of some of the small cars in the Indian market. Unlike the upcoming Chevy Beat, which is out to make a style statement, or the futuristic-looking Jazz, Nissan has deliberately given the new Micra a ‘gender-free’ and more functional design that focuses more on interior space, comfort and easy driving.

On Indian roads, Micra occupants will be cushioned by a long-travel suspension, which uses the standard layout of MacPherson struts up front and a twist beam axle at the rear. Nissan is using 14-in wheels and reasonably high-profile, narrow 165/70-R14 tyres in the interests of ride comfort and low rolling resistance.

The interiors, which haven’t been revealed as yet, have been described as ‘simple but not cheap’ and, according to Nissan engineers, promise to offer the most spacious rear seat in this class. Giving a hint of the amount of rear headroom available is the roofline, which doesn’t taper sharply towards the rear. Boot space too is expected to be generous and in keeping with the passenger room available.

Under The Hood

Fuel efficiency and low weight are among the strengths of the V-platform and both these crucial factors are intrinsically linked. The key here is an all-new lightweight and fuel-efficient three-cylinder 1.2-litre engine, which has an offset crankshaft and low-friction piston rings for better efficiency.

This compact motor, which will debut on the Micra, is essentially a three-cylinder version of the XH family of four-cylinder units and also comes with a four-valves-per-cylinder head and twin overhead cams. Nissan says it has tuned the engine for driveability and low-end torque to suit the Micra’s urban focus.

A three-cylinder engine isn’t as inherently smooth as a four-cylinder and I suspect that noise and vibration levels may not be as low as the competition. Nissan admits that it is using a slim NVH package to keep costs and weight down but is hopeful that the torquey nature of the engine won’t require drivers to rev it hard.

The idea is that by staying away from high revs will allow the engine to be relatively quiet. Nissan is keen to show the effort that has gone into maximising refinement, especially with regard to the use of lightweight construction methods.

Nissan says that the new Micra will be nearly 10 per cent more fuel efficient than its closest rival and the company’s confidence in the engine’s efficiency can be seen in the relatively small 43-litre fuel tank (the Swift’s fuel tank is 43 litres). Tipping the scales in its favour is the fact that at an estimated 970kg, the Micra will be one of the lightest cars in its class and matched only by the smaller Swift.

The Micra will also get a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel, the same Renault K9K unit which powers the Logan. Power output is likely to be the same as the Renault but in the substantially lighter Micra, the 65bhp engine will feel significantly more powerful and efficient.

Final Verdict

There is no indication of prices but given the amount Nissan is betting on the Micra, the company knows it has to get the price right. It’s likely that the Micra will collide head-on against the segment leader, the Maruti Suzuki Swift, so you can expect a price of just under Rs 4 lakh for the base model.

The best part — this is only the start of things to come from Nissan.

Following the launch of the Micra will be the saloon variant of the V-platform that is expected to make its debut in 2011. The saloon is likely to get the bigger 1.6-litre, four-cylinder XH series petrol engine along with a more powerful version of the Logan/Micra’s Renault 1.5-litre K9K diesel.

An automatic option is also expected with a new, very compact, ‘low-friction’ CVT transmission with a higher-than-normal top-ratio, which the company has engineered. The mini-MPV or third variant may find its way into India if there is sufficient market demand and if Nissan can engineer it to a length under four metres (to save on excise and make it cheaper).

All three variants share a lot of common parts with a total of 60 to 70 per cent sharing of parts between the variants. However, each variant will have its own distinctive styling and character.


Hormazd Sorabjee, The Personal Telegraph
Pix courtesy: Computer-generated images by Lineale Design