Nissan tipped to make major Micra commitment

NISSAN is poised to announce the return of the Micra light car to Australia inside the next few weeks, with a Melbourne motor show debut likely in March.

"We want the car in the segment and obviously the Micra is the strongest candidate," according to Nissan Australia boss Shinya Hannya.

GoAuto has learned that the company is awaiting final approval from Japan before it publicly reveals plans of the long-awaited Toyota Yaris rival.

"We are hoping to be able to make an announcement soon," Mr Hannya said.

"Even if I could make an announcement (now), we still don't know the timing," he added.

However Mr Hannya did admit that the Micra would be be on sale here by this time next year.

"A year is a long time," he laughed. "But we are not quite sure of the timing."Nissan isn't talking details, but GoAuto believes that a 1.4-litre twin-cam four-cylinder petrol engine, mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox, will be the sole power source for this K12 series Micra.

The diminutive three and five-door hatchback will finally give the beleaguered Japanese car maker a viable presence in the fastest-growing passenger car segments of 2006.

Sourcing of Australian cars should be out of Japan.

The Micra is also built in England, which supplies Nissan's European market requirements.

Sold here between 1995 and 1997, the old, K11 series Micra was priced out of the market because Nissan chose to bring in the car from the UK.

Nissan has also revealed that it was investigating importing the Cube and/or the Note light cars into Australia as well.

"Into the future we need (to determine) if one is enough, or whether we also need something different," Mr Hannya said.

The Cube has been a cult success in Japan, with its starkly geometric two-box shape, while the Note is a sort of Tiida wagon/mini MPV with strong European styling.

GoAuto understands that Nissan is planning a big export offensive for the next-generation Cube model due around 2008, with America, Britain and Western Europe being the main targets.

All three light cars share the Renault Nissan Alliance B Platform, along with the Tiida, Clio, Modus and upcoming Twingo II, among others.