After the success of Micra petrol from Nissan, the company has launched the diesel version in the capital today. The Micra diesel comes in two variant XV and XV premium. The Micra XV is priced at Rs 5.58 lakh while the top-end variant XV premium will cost Rs 6.04 lakh (ex showroom, Delhi). The main difference between the two variants is that XV Premium comes with a start-stop button and alloy wheels.
The Nissan Micra diesel is powered by the same 1.5-litre engine as the Mahindra-Renault Logan’s. It is an eight-valve 1.5-litre dCi engine (code name K9K). This engine produces a maximum power of 63bhp and a torque of 160Nm@2000rpm. Nissan claims a mileage of 23 kmpl.
Nissan launched the Micra petrol in July 2010 with prices starting from Rs. 3.98 (base variant, ex-showroom, Delhi) and is selling around 1,000 cars a month in the domestic market. But the company is ramping up production of Micra’s for the export market. Nissan exported 3,866 Micra cars from its Oragadam factory near Chennai last month. Nissan’s target is to export 1.1 lakh units in the financial year 2011 to over 100 countries in Europe, Middle East and Africa. In order to achieve this target, Nissan has to export roughly 7,500 cars per month. Besides, the company has to meet the demands of the domestic market and deliver cars in time.
As far as cosmetic changes, the diesel variant looks just like its petrol sibling. Nissan is mulling an automatic variant of the successful Micra hatchback and this could follow the launch of the Micra diesel. If Nissan keeps prices of the diesel Micra competitive, it has got a clear winner in hands owing to the fact that diesel cars in India have gained tremendous popularity in the recent times, due to their fuel efficiency. New age diesel Nissan is mulling an automatic variant of the successful Micra hatchback and this could follow the launch of the Micra diesel. If Nissan keeps prices of the diesel Micra competitive, it has got a clear winner in hands owing to the fact that diesel cars in India have gained tremendous popularity in the recent times, due to their fuel efficiency. New age diesel technology and lower diesel prices in India have ensured sales often are higher than their petrol counterparts, even though the initial cost of a diesel car is higher.
Nissan Micra diesel technical specifications
Displacement : 1461 cc
Power : 65 hp at 4000 rpm
Torque : 160 Nm at 2000 rpm
Top speed : 155 kmph
Acceleration : 15.9 seconds (0-100 kmph)
Transmission : Manual, 5 speed
