Questions remain over next-generation Micra
NISSAN is turning to Alliance partner Renault to see if it’s worth making a successor to the current Micra, it has emerged. The Japanese brand’s Ford Fiesta rival has struggled for sales in its latest fifth generation, and the costs involved in developing small combustion-engined cars for upcoming Euro 7 emissions rules look set to make them harder than ever to make money on.
Nissan’s European boss Guillaume Cartier said that the firm is yet to commit to a successor, and is investigating which Alliance resources might allow it to build such a car. “One topic remains open, and this is the entry point of the line-up,” he said. “The key point is to say, ‘How can we offer something, potentially with the Alliance, that will lure people to enter into the Nissan brand?’ That’s the one that we are considering.”
When asked directly if the car in question would need to be electric, Cartier said, “Yes, that’s absolutely key.” It seems all but certain, therefore, that Nissan is talking to its Alliance partner about using the CMF-BEV platform that will underpin the forthcoming Renault 5, itself a replacement for the Zoe electric supermini. The 5 is earmarked for introduction in 2024, by which point the current Micra will have passed beyond its usual seven-year model cycle.
That schedule will also be close to the proposed EU7 introduction date – and Cartier confirmed that Nissan has no plans to invest in its engines and vehicles to make them compliant with the new rules. “Strategically we are betting on electrification,” he said, “to the point where we are not investing in Euro 7.”
Nissan could yet decide to walk away from the supermini market altogether. The firm’s overall CEO, Makoto Uchida, told us that he believes the firm’s global product portfolio is too large. “If you ask me do we have sufficient number of cars for Nissan today, worldwide I think it’s too many,” he said. “We want to maximise our core product with more volume. On the question of small car or big car, the customer will decide.”