Tuesday 19th April 2011

Nissan Reveals Compact Sport Concept

Shanghai surprise: yup, they've turned the Micra into a 190hp hot hatch...

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This is the new Nissan Compact Sport Concept, a kind of Micra GTI, that's just been unveiled at the Shanghai motor show.

Now, the Chinese aren't exactly renowned for their love of hot hatches, and the cutesy Micra probably wouldn't be your first choice for a choice at the best of times, but nevertheless here it is.

The Compact Sport Concept is the first car to be jointly developed by both Nissan's Japanese design HQ and Nissan's new design studio in Beijing and is targeted squarely at young customers in emerging markets.

Beyond the beefy styling there's actually a bit of poke, too. Powering the Compact Sport is a direct-injection turbocharged 1.6-ltre four-cylinder motor with 188bhp 177lb ft of torque though.

But before you go wishing this was set to pop up in your local Nissan dealer (stranger things have happened) be warned; there is more weirdness. Why? Because Nissan has seen fit to equip the Sport Compact with a CVT gearbox. Okay, so the Xtronic CVT-M6 has a manual mode, but the letters C,V and T really don't sit too comfortably with the words 'hot' and 'hatch'.

[bobberz]

I like that. Very funky, and should be fun with that power!

[goron59]

Ugh. Could be worse. Could be a hybrid.

[r11co]

Hmmm. Toyota front and Clio back (ok, so Renault and Nissan are the same thing so that isn't so much of a surprise).

Seems we genuinely have now run out of novel styling ideas.

[oilit]

errr .............

FAIL! (IMHO)

[thinfourth2]

Is the latest tool in car design a large industrial air compressor?

[Fetchez la vache]

Interesting, and not a complete hash, though not convinced by the rear..

[rix]

Very 'meh'

Does have a touch of Clio v6 to it's side profile tho...

Wish Nissan could inject some GTR into it's lesser models, a new Pulsar GTiR anyone?

[hornetrider]

Beefy? Really?

[Douglas Arfempty]

I think that's quite quirky...really like it. Very Clio'ish, which is no bad thing really.

Can't see too many younger folk being convinced that a Micra is a 'cool' car though.

[R66STU]

that looks like the love child of a Toyota Aygo and a Renault Clio..

[LuS1fer]

Show us one with clear headlights as those won't be legal. It looks better than the Clio so it's not bad...and with the 197 Cup underpinnings...

It would be better if the outer circles at the front were air intakes and at the rear some nice exhausts.

Edited by LuS1fer on Tuesday 19th April 09:00

[XitUp]

goron59 said:

Ugh. Could be worse. Could be a hybrid.

Why would that be worse?

[AnotherClarkey]

LuS1fer said:

Show us one with clear headlights as those won't be legal. It looks better than the Clio so it's not bad...and with the 197 Cup underpinnings...

It would be better if the outer circles at the front were air intakes and at the rear some nice exhausts.

Edited by LuS1fer on Tuesday 19th April 09:00

What 197 Cup underpinnings are those? The new Micra does not share a Clio platform.

[Moogle]

R66STU said:

that looks like the love child of a Toyota Aygo and a Renault Clio..

Oh wow, that is EXACTLY to the the letter what I said on my Facebook status.

I never thought in my motoring life I would utter the words "I like a Nissan Micra".

[thinfourth2]

Its a aston martin thats been on the pies

[Oddball RS]

I like it, but why has no one done a 'micro'? sub BMW Mini size, road Rocket? why are all tiny cars soooo boring.

Is there no market for a modern day Cooper S?

[Mr Gear]

XitUp said:

goron59 said:

Ugh. Could be worse. Could be a hybrid.

Why would that be worse?

Because Jeremy Clarkson says they're rubbish of course! Silly you.

[RenesisEvo]

Hmmm....




Hmmmmmmm......




It's almost a Clio with a Yaris front end. But it's a Nissan?

[MarvinManUK]

Wow. . . .I actually really like that.

Now those words, I never thought I'd use in regards to a Nissan Micra. Ever.

[benjalex]

Give me a March Superturbo ANY DAY!

http://www.fastestlaps.com/photos/_Nissan_March_Su...

740Kg + 108BHP = something that'll probably piss all over this modern heavy sh*te!