Will Nissan Resurrect the Micra Name with Its Upcoming Subcompact?Hyundai, Kia and Toyota have long since offered inexpensive subcompact vehicles to Canadian consumers, a point General Motors divisions Chevrolet and Pontiac, plus affiliate Suzuki noticed before coming back to the market with their Aveo, Wave and Sprint+ models.
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| Due to its fun road-manners and stalwart reliability, the original 1982 to 1991 Micra was a hit. (Photo: Nissan Canada) |
The subcompact market segment is truly taking off due to low entry costs and high fuel prices, so therefore much speculation has been made as to which automaker would be next. Honda has announced it will enter the segment with something smaller than the Civic in the near future, while Mitsubishi could really use its stylish Colt to boost overall sales. But Nissan removed any speculation when its CEO, Carlos Ghosn, made his intentions of getting back into the local subcompact race official in January of this year. No doubt, Japan's number two automaker will be extremely successful with the new model, especially if the Micra name is resurrected.
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| Nissan says by the time 2007 arrives we will see a completely redesigned version of the Micra hatchback available here in North America. (Photo: Nissan Canada) |
It won't be coming anytime this year, however, or for that matter 2006, but Nissan says by the time 2007 arrives we will see a completely redesigned version of the Micra/March (Japan/ Europe) hatchback, or at least something similar, head our way.
"We're excited about these new opportunities to expand our presence in the compact-car segment," commented Brad Bradshaw President, Nissan Canada Inc. when the announcement was made. "Nissan Canada recognizes the importance of this segment and we've evolved the Sentra to meet the changing needs of Canadian consumers."
