India, New Cars, Nissan, Nissan Micra, Renault PHOTO GALLERY

Caterham wasn’t the only carmaker to take advantage of the inaugural Indian F1 Grand Prix to get the pundit’s attention; renault did the same, with COO Carlos Tavares lifting the wraps off the French brand's new Pulse supermini on October 29.

The Pulse will be built locally at the Renault-Nissan Alliance's plant at Chennai and is the third model the French carmaker has introduced this year in India.

The other two models are the Fluence saloon and the Koleos SUV, while Renault plans to further expand its range in India next year with the Duster crossover and an as-of-yet-unnamed four-door saloon.

With small cars accounting for nearly 80% of new car sales in India, it is obvious that the Pulse is the model Renault is counting on to significantly boost its sales in the region.

Renault’s new supermini is based on the Nissan Micra, which is also manufactured at the same factory. It was developed by Renault’s Mumbai Design Center, and at the front at least, the Pulse features a more angular styling than the Micra.

The new Pulse will be on display at the New Delhi Motor Show in January, at which point the order books will open with engine options being limited at launch to a 1.5-liter turbodiesel dCi.

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Nissan’s claims are supported by the 68.9 mpgUK (57.36 mpg US or 4,09 lt/100 km) and 95 g/km CO2 emissions of the base Visia edition

The new Nissan Micra DIG-S -which stands for “Direct Injection Gasoline – Supercharged”- is available to order in UK with on-the-road prices starting at £11,500. First deliveries will take place on September 1.

The new version of the Micra, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, is powered by a 1.2-liter three-cylinder supercharged gasoline engine delivering an output of 98HP.

According to Nissan, the new powerplant “offers the performance of a bigger petrol engine with the fuel economy of a diesel”.

Nissan’s claims are supported by the 68.9 mpgUK (57.36 mpg US or 4,09 lt/100 km) and 95 g/km CO2 emissions of the base Visia edition, while for the better-equipped and thus heavier Acenta and Tekna, the respective numbers are 65.7 mpg UK (54.7mpg UK or 4.3 lt/100 km) and 99 g/km.

The DIG-S engine operates on the Miller Cycle, where the inlet valve stays open longer. Along with a high compression ratio, direct injection, variable timing control with eco mode, specially shaped pistons and auto stop-start system, the Micra DIG-S offers increased fuel efficiency and exemption from UK road tax and congestion charges.

The DIG-S Micra costs £1,000 more than the equivalent non-supercharged version and is available with a five-speed manual gearbox. The basic Visia version costs £11,150, the Acenta £12,150 and the Tekna £13,650. Buyers can opt for a CVT auto transmission, which adds another £1,000 to the price.

Nissan Launches Super Clean Micra DIG-S Turbo with CO2 Emissions of just 95 g/km

With CO2 emissions of only 95 g/km, Nissan’s all-new Micra DIG-S has one of the cleanest petrol engines in the world. To achieve this, the Japanese firm's engineers used a 1.2-liter three-cylinder unit fitted with a supercharger and direct injection, which can be coupled either to a manual transmission or a CVT automatic gearbox.

The powerplant uses the Miller cycle and with a peak output of 98HP and 142 Nm (105 lb-ft) of torque, it’s said to be on par with a conventional 1.5-liter four-cylinder unit. Other technical highlights include the 13:1 compression ratio that increases combustion efficiency, the reduced heat, friction and pumping losses thanks to fewer moving parts, and advanced engine management systems with Start/Stop feature and energy regeneration capabilities.

When equipped with a manual transmission, the entry-level trim grade of the Micra DIG-S can hit a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph), while returning estimated fuel consumption of 4.1 lt/100 km (57.4 US mpg) on the combined cycle with 95 g/km of CO2.

Manual variants with higher trim levels (Acenta and Tekna) emit 99 g/km due to the added equipment. The CVT version is the least efficient of the pack, but with CO2 emissions of 115 g/km is still a proper tree hugger’s car.

Depending on market, the Micra DIG-S is also exempt from road tax and/or congestion charges and customers can benefit from further tax breaks and governmental incentives.

Nissan will showcase the DIG-S at the Geneva Motor Show in March with European sales set to debut this summer. It will be only available in a five-door body style and with three trim levels. Besides the supercharged engine, the Japanese automaker is offering an 80HP 1.2-liter naturally aspirated variant as well.

By Csaba Daradics

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Nissan Recalls 2.1 Million Vehicles Worldwide Over Ignition Problem

A defect in the ignition system that can cause an engine to stall while running has prompted a massive recall of some 2.1 million Nissan and Infiniti cars and trucks worldwide.

In the U.S. and Canada, the recall involves the 2004-2006MY Nissan Armada and Titan, 2005-2006MY Infiniti QX56, as well as the 2003-2006MY Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra models. Other models in the global recall list include the Cube, March/Micra and Tiida.

Of the 2.14 million vehicles affected by the recall, Japan accounts for 834,759, North America for 761,528, Europe for 354,170, and China and Taiwan for 194,409 units.

The company said it will notify the owners of the affected vehicles. The inspection and repair is expected to be done free of charge.