Latest news with #Douai
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Official reveal: Nissan Micra reinvented as Renault 5 twin
The radically different new sixth-generation Nissan Micra has been created to appeal to younger, European buyers, in a bid to move the supermini away from being known as a 'grandma car'. The newest generation of the popular hatchback – which has amassed more than six million sales since first being launched 42 years ago – has been fully revealed by the Japanese firm as a twin to Alliance partner Renault's electric 5. This means it won't be sold with a combustion engine for the first time in its history. The Micra is aimed squarely at buyers in Europe, a market in which Nissan is looking to grow after suffering heavy losses in recent years, necessitating a major cost-cutting plan. It arrives as one of four new Nissan EVs due before the end of 2026, the others being the new Leaf crossover, an electric Juke and an A-segment model that will be twinned with the upcoming Renault Twingo. The new Micra sits on the Ampr Small platform, drawing power from either a 40kWh or a 52kWh battery, which are good for 192 and 253 miles of range. In top-spec form, the battery can accept a charging rate of 100kW to go from 15-80% in 30 minutes. As with the 5, alongside which the Micra will be produced by Renault in Douai, France, power is sent to a single, front-mounted motor that can be tuned for 121bhp (with the 40kWh battery) or 148bhp (with the 52kWh battery). Beyond the electric powertrain, the biggest change for the Micra is its radical new design. While it was developed alongside the 5 from the start, Nissan designers were given the freedom to create something that 'was more noticeably Nissan' – although 'we had to fight for it', exterior design manager Yongwook Cho told Autocar. Described as 'audacious, assertive and funky', the new look takes inspiration from the bulbous Mk3 Micra of 2002, especially for its circular daytime-running lights at both ends. Cho added that 'it was tough' when his designers were tasked with creating something that would differ visually from the 'already good-looking' 5, especially given the fixed underpinnings. One change from the 5 is at the front, where the bonnet is higher, longer and features slightly more bulky arches in order to give the Micra a different silhouette. 'We wanted to carry more volume to the front,' said Cho, who added that this gives the Micra more of a crossover feel – like the Renault Megane – than the 5, which is more overtly a hatchback and 'sporty'. Another differentiator is at the rear, where a lip was added, and at the side (visually where the twins are most obviously related), where there's a shoulder line that looks 'like it's been scooped by a gelato scoop'. These design elements combine to make the Micra 'a grandma car no more', claimed Cho. The interior is essentially identical to the 5's, with the same twin 10.25in screens, same switchgear and same materials, but its colour offerings – white, grey and black – are more muted. That is intended to position Nissan's entry-level EV as more of a premium offering than the 5, European marketing boss Arnaud Charpentier told Autocar. Pricing, he suggested, would therefore start above Renault's £22,995 entry point. Explaining why Nissan had given the Micra such a radical styling overhaul, Charpentier said: 'The UK is our best market in Europe by far [with 133,000 sales since the start of 2024], so we had to come back with something different. 'I think this new car will create a gap between what people have in mind when they look or think of the [Micra] nameplate and what is now the reality. 'Young buyers? That was the objective.' Charpentier said traditional Micra buyers in the UK differ from those in other markets. For example, in France and Spain they are younger and 'almost 95% female'. As such, he explained, 'we wanted to come back with something which is gender-neutral'. Charpentier continued: 'The challenge is really to rejuvenate, because we know that in the UK we have this [grandma] association, and we believe through the audacious and playful design that we see, it's going to help conquer new types of buyers, like younger, modern parents.' Asked whether sales could be affected by the Micra's switch to electric-only power, he said: 'We will have to explain that it's an EV, a full EV. It had to be explained by Renault with the 5. So that's the fact.' Touching on the 5's popularity (16,948 sales in Europe so far this year) and lower starting price, Charpentier disagreed that total electrification would inhibit uptake of the Micra. 'We have a very strong nameplate,' he said. 'I'm sure that the nameplate of Micra is stronger in the UK, for example, than the 5. Probably also in Italy. So I'm not worried about this.' What's more, Charpentier believes that the arrivals of the reinvented Leaf and the next-generation Juke will help rejuvenate Nissan during a turbulent period for the company. 'This new EV line-up will help us to come back in the race,' he predicted. ]]>
Top Gear
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Renault 5 - long-term review 2025
Seriously though, when was the last time a sub-£30,000 car created this much hype? Perhaps the Honda e in its early stages of development? But then that was a bit of a letdown when you realised it didn't look quite as cool as the Urban EV concept, had barely enough range to reach the next charger, and it cost almost £40,000 by the time Honda pulled the plug in December 2023. So far, the Renault seems to have backed up its equally glorious throwback design with competitive pricing and a more than adequate drive, but some time on the TG fleet will be its toughest test yet. Well, this is rather exciting. Welcome to Renault's Douai factory in northern France, and more importantly, welcome to TG's very own Renault 5 . Yep, we're embarking on life with the retro little city car to see whether it can justify its Top Gear Car of the Year win over a long-term, real-world test. Oh, and it was also crowned World Car of the Year for 2025 , but obviously the TG award means much more. So, to its birthplace. This is the factory that produced the original 5 between 1974 and 1984, but the square footage has actually shrunk in recent years as Renault sells off land and looks to make it more efficient and cost-effective. It now builds the new 5 and its rowdier Alpine A290 sibling on the same line as the larger Megane and Scenic, with Renault's EV offshoot company Ampere referring to this more nimble plant – plus the new battery gigafactory across the road – as its 'ElectriCity'. Vom. Still, there are 2,815 employees here currently, and the launch of the new R5 meant 415 extra jobs were created. Good news for the former coal mining region. The Douai plant is currently chucking out 53 vehicles per hour on the morning shift and 26 per hour in the afternoon, but once the latter is fully up to speed (and when it also starts production of the new Nissan Micra and an upcoming Mitsubishi crossover) then roughly 700 new cars will depart the gates each day. A quick peek behind the scenes (while wearing some truly terrible safety gear) would suggest demand for the 5 is high right now, and it looks like we're not the only ones who wanted it in 'yellow pop!' paint. That's Renault's exclamation by the way, not ours. We're told 'midnight blue' is currently the most popular colour in France, but from the look of the line on the day we collected our car, customers aren't shying away from yellow or green. This is good news – the 5's chunky stance and cutesy cartoon face certainly suit a brighter shade. I'll delve further into the actual spec of our car next month, but all you need to know for now is that we've gone for the mid-range Techno trim with the bigger battery and thus the more powerful motor. The paint cost £800 and personally I prefer the matching yellow roof to the contrast black one that Renault has used in most of its advertising. Paint is actually the only optional extra, so you'd be looking at a purchase price of £27,795 for this particular car, or just £221 per month on a two-year PCP deal. Granted you'll need to stick a chunky £8,339 deposit down and you get a mileage limit of 6,000 per year to secure that monthly spend, but it still seems like huge value for money and is currently available with 0 per cent APR.
Auto Car
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Meet the funky new Nissan Micra! A 'grandma car' no longer?
Micra returns after two-year hiatus; blockier, funkier design borrows elements from its 2002 forebear Open gallery Close The radically different new sixth-generation Nissan Micra has been created to appeal to younger, European buyers, in a bid to move the supermini away from being known as a 'grandma car'. The newest generation of the popular hatchback – which has amassed more than six million sales since first being launched 42 years ago – has been fully revealed by the Japanese firm as a twin to Alliance partner Renault's electric 5. This means it won't be sold with a combustion engine for the first time in its history. The Micra is aimed squarely at buyers in Europe, a market in which Nissan is looking to grow after suffering heavy losses in recent years, necessitating a major cost-cutting plan. It arrives as one of four new Nissan EVs due before the end of 2026, the others being the new Leaf crossover, an electric Juke and an A-segment model that will be twinned with the upcoming Renault Twingo. The new Micra sits on the Ampr Small platform, drawing power from either a 40kWh or a 52kWh battery, which are good for 192 and 253 miles of range. In top-spec form, the battery can accept a charging rate of 100kW to go from 15-80% in 30 minutes. As with the 5, alongside which the Micra will be produced by Renault in Douai, France, power is sent to a single, front-mounted motor that can be tuned for 121bhp (with the 40kWh battery) or 148bhp (with the 52kWh battery). Beyond the electric powertrain, the biggest change for the Micra is its radical new design. While it was developed alongside the 5 from the start, Nissan designers were given the freedom to create something that 'was more noticeably Nissan' – although 'we had to fight for it', exterior design manager Yongwook Cho told Autocar. Described as 'audacious, assertive and funky', the new look takes inspiration from the bulbous Mk3 Micra of 2002, especially for its circular daytime-running lights at both ends. Cho added that 'it was tough' when his designers were tasked with creating something that would differ visually from the 'already good-looking' 5, especially given the fixed underpinnings. One change from the 5 is at the front, where the bonnet is higher, longer and features slightly more bulky arches in order to give the Micra a different silhouette. ' We wanted to carry more volume to the front,' said Cho, who added that this gives the Micra more of a crossover feel – like the Renault Megane – than the 5, which is more overtly a hatchback and 'sporty'. Another differentiator is at the rear, where a lip was added, and at the side (visually where the twins are most obviously related), where there's a shoulder line that looks 'like it's been scooped by a gelato scoop'. These design elements combine to make the Micra 'a grandma car no more', claimed Cho. The interior is essentially identical to the 5's, with the same twin 10.25in screens, same switchgear and same materials, but its colour offerings – white, grey and black – are more muted. That is intended to position Nissan's entry-level EV as more of a premium offering than the 5, European marketing boss Arnaud Charpentier told Autocar. Pricing, he suggested, would therefore start above Renault's £22,995 entry point. Explaining why Nissan had given the Micra such a radical styling overhaul, Charpentier said: 'The UK is our best market in Europe by far [with 133,000 sales since the start of 2024], so we had to come back with something different. 'I think this new car will create a gap between what people have in mind when they look or think of the [Micra] nameplate and what is now the reality. 'Young buyers? That was the objective.' Charpentier said traditional Micra buyers in the UK differ from those in other markets. For example, in France and Spain they are younger and 'almost 95% female'. As such, he explained, 'we wanted to come back with something which is gender-neutral'. Charpentier continued: 'The challenge is really to rejuvenate, because we know that in the UK we have this [grandma] association, and we believe through the audacious and playful design that we see, it's going to help conquer new types of buyers, like younger, modern parents.' Asked whether sales could be affected by the Micra's switch to electric-only power, he said: 'We will have to explain that it's an EV, a full EV. It had to be explained by Renault with the 5. So that's the fact.' Touching on the 5's popularity (16,948 sales in Europe so far this year) and lower starting price, Charpentier disagreed that total electrification would inhibit uptake of the Micra. 'We have a very strong nameplate,' he said. 'I'm sure that the nameplate of Micra is stronger in the UK, for example, than the 5. Probably also in Italy. So I'm not worried about this.' What's more, Charpentier believes that the arrivals of the reinvented Leaf and the next-generation Juke will help rejuvenate Nissan during a turbulent period for the company. 'This new EV line-up will help us to come back in the race,' he predicted. Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Next Prev In partnership with
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
British design gives new Nissan Micra edge over Renault 5 rival
The new Nissan Micra may share plenty with the award-winning Renault 5, but it gets its own look that comes from Nissan's design studio in London. While the new Renault 5 is distinctly retro-flavoured, this sixth-generation Micra gets a much more futuristic look with just a hint of Micras of old. The bold circular LED lights, intersected by a slim main headlight unit, is a nod towards the third-generation car launched in 2002. They give a cheeky 'welcome wink' to owners as they approach the car, pulsing from left to right and then right to left. The same round design theme is carried over to the rear, where the back lights are also circular LEDS, with the Nissan name sitting in big lettering in a black full-width panel. As part of the continuing Renault-Nissan Alliance, the Micra makes use of the Renault Group's AMPR small platform, also used for the Renault 5, Renault 4 and upcoming Renault Twingo. The Micra will be built alongside the Renault 5 in Douai, France. That means the Micra gets the same battery options as the Renault 5 with 40kWh or 52kWh choices, with a range of 192 and 253 miles respectively. There's also the same 100kW fast charging on the bigger battery and 80kW on the smaller one, with a 15 to 80 per cent charge taking 30 minutes. The option to power external appliances is also there with V2L vehicle-to-load capability, while a heat pump to improve cold-weather efficiency is standard. The Nissan is marginally longer than the Renault, although the wheelbase is the same. The extra length comes from the chunkier front and rear designs, which do a good job of disguising the Renault 5 origins of the new Nissan. The overall effect is clearly of siblings with a family similarity, but with enough difference to give the two cars completely different characters. Nissan has also added a few other flourishes, which include an 'ice cream scoop' indented line that runs from the edge of the headlights all the way to the back of the car. The gloss black wheel arches and deeper black panels on the lower edges of the doors are bolder on the Nissan than on the Renault, while there are a few little 'Easter Egg' surprises dotted around. The outline of Japan's Mount Fuji can be found just inside the boot door and on the centre console inside, while a reference to the origins of the Nissan name – meaning two three in Japanese – comes from the two dots and three lines on the charging socket door on the side of the car. The dots and lines also feature on the door sills. A choice of 14 bold exterior colours can be paired with a black or grey roof depending on model, with three trim levels expected to be offered across the two battery sizes. Nothing has changed underneath the Micra in the conversion from Renault to Nissan, so expect the same excellent compromise between the sharp handling and compliant ride that serves the Renault 5 so well. That also means the option of one-pedal driving. However, Nissan engineers have tweaked the various drive modes which adjust the throttle response, steering weight, power and torque availability and the colour of the ambient lighting. There are comfort, sport, eco and perso (for a personalised mix of settings) to choose from. Inside, the Nissan's dash is identical in structure if not trim to the Renault. So you get the same twin 10-inch screens for driver information and infotainment, with separate heating and ventilation controls sitting lower down beneath the centre screen. It also means the same fiddly column-mounted gear selector is fitted that that does without a parking mode and sits on the right-hand side behind the Nissan-badged steering wheel, along with a wiper stalk and remote audio controls. As with the Renault, there's the excellent Google-run infotainment that can react to 'Hey Google' voice commands – although it couldn't tell us whether we should buy a Renault 5 or Nissan Micra! There are plenty of app options through Google Play, while there will be a Nissan voice assistant in the car that will function like the 5's 'Hey Reno' feature. The intelligent in-car route planner will help guide you to your destination via appropriate public chargers, letting you know how long you need to charge for, while also pre-conditioning the battery ready to accept a faster charge. And if you're not a big Google user, the Micra also provides wireless Apple CarPlay. Again, the design inside is more forward thinking than the retro design of the Renault, with a nice blend of premium materials and two-tone seats that feel comfortable. Space in the back is just about okay, as it is in the Renault 5, but the boot is a decent size at 326-litres, which rises to 1,066 litres with the rear seats folded – and they have a handy 60/40 splitting arrangement. There's no word yet from Nissan on pricing, but we'd guess that it will have to compete head-to-head with the Renault 5, which starts at £22,995 and rises to £29,995. We'll have more details on the prices when the order books open in September, with first deliveries expected in January of 2026. The Micra is the first of four new all-electric models arriving by 2027, with a new Nissan Leaf next to arrive, followed by an all-electric Nissan Juke and an A-segment car set to be based on the new Renault Twingo.
