Euro/India spec 2013 Nissan Micra facelift unveiled

Nissan has released official imagery and details of the 2014 Micra Facelift headed to the European car market. India is a major production hub for the Micra hatchback, with a lion's share of production headed to export shores. In fact Nissan India exports more Micra hatchbacks to countries across the world than it sells in India. With the images of the Euro-spec 2014 Micra Facelift hitting the interweb, speculation on whether the same car would be launched in India has begun doing the rounds. Notably, the Euro-spec car is pretty similar to the Thai-version of the car, except for detailing changes on the interiors and the flaring on the headlamps. 

A set of spyshots showing a camouflaged Nissan Micra has been doing the rounds in India. The camouflaged version of the Micra, while showing a refreshed grille borrowed from the Thai-spec Micra, showed another change in the form of flared headlamps. Also, an OnCars report, which quotes unnamed Nissan sources, claims that the India-spec Micra facelift will be different from the Thai-version. Combining the spyshots, various renders on the interweb and the OnCars report, it appears that the facelifted Micra sold in India will indeed look visually different from the Thai spec models. These changes are depicted through the images of the facelifted 2014 Euro-spec Micra.  

Under the hood though, the Micra Facelift will be available with 3 options: 1.2 Liter-3 cylinder petrol engine outputting 80 PS-110 Nm, a 1.2 Liter DIG-S supercharged engine outputting 98 PS and a 1.5 Liter K9K turbo diesel engine delivering 65 Bhp-160 Nm. Of these engines, the Indian version of the facelifted 2014 Micra  hatchback will be available with the 1.2 Liter-80 PS petrol engine and the 1.5 Liter K9K diesel engine. A five speed manual gearbox is standard across all engines while a CVT automatic gearbox will be offered on the petrol versions. Nissan India will launch the facelifted 2014 Micra Petrol with both manual and automatic gearbox options while the diesel engine will make do with the 5 speed stick shift. 

The facelifted version of the 2014 India-spec Micra is expected to be launched in the next few months. Here's a round up of changes that the facelift brings to the table: Chrome front grille, Bonnet, Headlamps, Front Bumper, Fog Lamps, 15 inch and 16 inch alloy wheels, redesigned rear bumper and new tail lamps. On the inside, the Euro-spec model gets black finish for the interiors with revamped upholstery and redesigned air vents. India might get a beige finish, similar to that found on the Thai-spec version. Apart from this, the center console is an all new item and so is the touch screen infotainment system that gets satellite navigation, USB and Bluetooth connectivity. On the features front, a new parking system has been added to the car in the form of the parking slot measurement system. Also, the car gets reverse parking sensors.

The 2014 Micra facelift represents the first major refresh for the India-spec model of the car. The car hasn't been selling very well in India and this could have much to do with the price at which the diesel engined variants are priced. Nissan India would do well to add features such as ABS and Passenger Airbag to the Micra Diesel, in order to bring the car up to speed in comparison with well kitted out competition.