Spied - Low cost Nissan Micra is back on track with a facelift

28/05/2013 - 20:10 Spy pictures, New Nissan Micra/March Nithyanandh K

We earlier reported that the low cost Nissan Micra codenamed GO2A has been put on the back burner for the time being.

Nissan Micra low cost spied Chennai front — The front fascia sports a new bumper, grill and headlamps which seem to have dark tints.

We now hear that the bare bones edition of the car is back on track and the testing is nearing its final phase. Here, one of our readers spotted Nissan's latest experiment being tested in Chennai. This is probably the first time we get a clear look at the car's front.

The test mule has a slightly different front fascia. The headlight elements have been re-profiled. The front grill loses the chrome strip and now has a honeycomb mesh. The bumper and the secondary airdam are completely new. Understandably, there is no provision for the fog lights. The rest of the car remains the same.

Our reader reports that there wasn’t black smoke or diesel clatter when the driver attempted to pull off swiftly at a traffic signal.

Nissan Micra low cost spied Chennai rear — Rear windshield is missing a wiper. Door handles are black.

This is consistent with our previous claim that the low cost version of the Micra will be available only with the petrol engine. The 1.2-liter three cylinder develops 76 bhp and comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

Nissan Micra low cost spied Chennai nose — The headlamps have different detailing.

The car has undergone some aggressive cost cutting which will likely see the deletion of the driver airbag as a standard feature. It will also have a steering system which is locally made as the steering system of the Micra is currently imported.

Nissan Micra low cost spied Chennai dashboard — The dashboard is same as the current Micra. However there maybe some changes to the center console.

Other measures taken to bring the cost down include skimping on the NVH package, revising the material quality and numerous, minor cost cutting exercises, most of which cannot be seen physically.

The low cost Nissan Micra could be significantly cheaper than the current version, so much so that it will slide a whole segment below. Meanwhile, the current Micra will be updated with a comprehensive refresh.

The low cost Micra should be out by the end of the year but the 1.5-liter diesel engine option may be added only next year.

So the Nissan Micra gets three types of facelifts: This mildly updated low cost version, the international facelift and the facelifted version that was spotted in India.