The racing Nissan Micra Sport Concept from 2003, 1386 cc, 88 HP, max. speed 174 km/h

The Nissan Micra, also known as the Nissan March, is a supermini car (B-segment) that has been produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan since 1982.

The Nissan Micra replaced the Japanese-market Nissan Cherry. It was exclusive to Nissan Japanese dealership network Nissan Cherry Store until 1999 when the “Cherry” network was combined into Nissan Red Stage until 2003. Until Nissan began selling kei cars in Japan, the March was Nissan’s smallest vehicle, and was not renamed and sold at other Japanese Nissan dealership networks.

Third generation (K12; 2002)

The next version of the Micra, the K12, was unveiled in production form at the 2002 Paris Motor Show, following the lines of the Nissan mm.e concept car presented the year before at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

It was introduced to the Japanese market in February 2002 and to the European market at the end of 2002. The car was restyled, featuring a new, 70 mm longer wheelbase (developed with Renault), increased height and width, and prominent headlamps extending into the wings/fenders. The redesign coincided with the Japanese Nissan dealership network Nissan Cherry Store being renamed Nissan Red Stage in 1999.

Other features included a sliding rear seat and optional keyless ignition. The range of engines included improved 1.2 (CR12DE) and 1.4 (CR14DE) petrol models, and a Renault-sourced 1.5 diesel unit (K9K). The automatic CVT transmission of the previous model was replaced by a conventional automatic transmission.

Though its successor came out in 2010, the K12 was produced up through model year 2011.

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