Exciting drivers in over 70 countries since 1982
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that global sales of the Nissan Micra/March has surpassed six million units as of the end of May 2011.
For many years, Nissan has been creating compacts which meet the needs of the times. The first-generation Nissan Micra/March debuted in 1982, and soon became known for its drivability, affordability and high quality. The second-generation Micra/March, released in 1992, adopted the advanced technologies of the day, such as continuously variable transmissions (CVT). Similarly, the third-generation model, launched in 2002, featured the Intelligent Key for the first time in Nissan models. In response to contemporary market demands, the fourth-generation model, released in 2010, is equipped with Nissan’s Idling Stop system and the next-generation Xtronic CVT to help it achieve excellent fuel economy. Yosuke Iwasa, Nissan’s global chief marketing manager for the Micra/March program, said, “The Micra/March’s drivability, fantastic reliability and superb handling have been well received, striking a chord with customers in over 70 countries around the world.”
Production of the Nissan Micra/March was concentrated in Japan and the UK until the third-generation model. Subsequent production was shifted to manufacturing facilities in Thailand, India, China and Mexico. Indicative of his confidence in the new model, Ishizuka commented, “While maintaining Nissan’s high quality standards, we want to deliver cars filled with the features that our customers want, at a reasonable price, all over the world.” As of the end of May 2011, more than 170,000 units of the new Nissan Micra/March have been sold in 56 countries worldwide.
In Japan, the new Nissan March has been highly praised for its design, and it won the Good Design Award, an accolade recognizing overall design excellence. It also received the Fashion Color Award at the 2011 Auto Color Awards for its use of color in design.
In Thailand, the new Nissan March became the first model offered for sale under the Thai government’s eco-car project on account of its excellent fuel efficiency. It received the “Best Environmental Car of the Year” in 2010, and the “Best Car of the Year under 1200cc” in 2011, both awarded by the Grand Prix Group.
Tsuyoshi Kobayashi, the Micra/March’s chief vehicle engineer, commented, “Six million units sold tell us the Micra/March has a track record of success. With over 28 years’ experience producing compact cars, we want our customers to enjoy the maximum value of the new Nissan Micra/March together with its new technologies. With the newly-developed V-platform shared between two new models being produced, reduced vehicle weight and new aerodynamics have contributed to fuel economy performance that is among the best in its class. Additionally, by thoroughly employing the common quality management standards of the Nissan Production Way (NPW), we are delivering cars which customers all over the world can drive with the assurance of global standards of quality.”
Yosuke Iwasa summed up Nissan’s approach by saying, “Nissan has long been striving to deliver great value to our customers in markets around the world. Compact cars are more important than ever in moving the world toward a society with lower carbon emissions. Under our Zero Emissions and PURE DRIVE strategies, we are striving to quickly offer the Nissan Micra/March to customers in 160 countries around the world.”
Micra/March total sales volume
Unit volume breakdown by generation:
1st generation: approximately 1.65 million units
2nd generation: approximately 2.54 million units
3rd generation: approximately 1.63 million units
4th generation: approximately 170,000 units
Breakdown by region:
Japan: approximately 2.37 million units
Outside Japan: approximately 3.63 million units
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