Small car market in India is growing at a rapid pace. Figures for April - June 2010 released by the Society of India Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) indicate a domestic sale of 433,641 passenger cars compared to 324,985 units during the same period the year before. Exports were 1007,002 units as compared to 97,039 units exported during the same period the year before. A large chunk of these sales, both domestic and exports, includes small cars. This is supported by the fact that India is both a large consumer of small cars as well as a global hub for the production of small cars that have been well received in foreign markets as well.

A new addition to this trend is Nissan. An alliance partner of Renault, the Japanese automaker, headed by the dynamic and suave Carlos Ghosn, has introduced its first locally produced small car Micra. A fourth generation model, the Micra measures 3780 mm in length, 1665mm in width and 1530 mm in height. Comparable to B-segment cars like the Maruti Ritz, the Micra sports an above average wheelbase of 2450 mm. The wheels of the car have been pushed to each corner almost, and which results in intelligent utilisation of space.

Reliable, stylish, safe and eco-friendly according to sources at Nissan, the Micra appears slightly 'bubbly'. Dictated by an effort to engineer a spacious as well as a tough small car, the boomerang-shaped grooves on the roof of the Micra serve a purpose. They are part of an endeavour by Nissan’s Global Production Engineering Centre to make the car lightest (905 kg) in its segment, and without sacrificing sturdiness. Nissan engineers employed numerous ways to achieve this. They reduced the number of components and used newer manufacturing and material processing techniques. First variant to come off the V-plaform engineered by Nissan, and which according to Vincent Cobee, Corporate Vice President and Programme Director (New Platforms), was developed to address the need of a roomy, compact and light weight automobile that was designed for global application and deep localisation in mind. The V-platform thus employs techniques that emphasize versatility. Easily tailored for right hand drive or left hand drive, the V-platform would spring three variants. These would share up to 82 to 90% of the parts and between 60 to 70% of upper body parts. To address weight issues, the number of cockpit parts were reduced to near half of a conventional cockpit. Low gross grain finish of the instrument panel helped save paint. For better visibility, the height of the instrument panel was lowered. Components with lesser parts were developed. Sub-components like seat use 50 parts instead of usual 85. The dashboard has 27 parts instead of the usual 56. The front sub-frame has 13 parts instead of 20. Employing a revolutionary approach for the first time, according to Cobee, the engineers developed the specifications and gave it to the suppliers, consequently moving into purchasing and engineering.

Designed and tested in Japan and manufactured locally in India at Renault-Nissan alliance's brand new plant near Chennai, which was set up with an investment of Rs 4500 crore, the Micra is a global car that would be sold in advanced markets such as Europe, Middle East, and Africa among other countries as well. Available in three variants – XE (Entry), XL (Mid) and XV (Top) – the Micra features intelligent key plus immobiliser, a push-button engine start-stop system and electric foldable mirrors. A unique feature is the intelligent multi-display meter, which supplies drivers with real time fuel economy information, cruising range and outside temperature. The driver power window is fitted with ‘one touch up/down’ feature along with a pinch guard. In addition to saving weight by reducing parts, the ‘connected cocoon’ design of the dashboard comprises circular instrumentation panel and a similarly shaped glove box compartment on the passenger side. Special attention has been paid to the use of materials on the instrumental panel. Using micro-grain technology, this reduces the plasticky feel and improves productivity by ensuring quality and finish for visual and tactile appeal.

Safety is built into the structure by designing it to absorb the forces of a frontal impact. There are sophisticated crumple zones, and the cabin integrity is ensured by the highly reinforced body shell. All the variants are equipped with a driver airbag. The top-end variant is equipped with driver and front passenger airbag, anti-lock braking system, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist.

Flaunting a front-wheel drive design, the Micra is powered by an all-new HR12, 1198cc 3-cylinder petrol engine with double overhead camshafts. Power is rated at 76PS @ 6000 rpm, and torque at 104Nm @ 4000 rpm. Transmission is a 5-speed manual unit with wide gear coverage that helps in achieving good economy and brisk acceleration. Pleasant performance is combined with good ride and handling brought about by a McPherson strut set up at front and a torsion beam set up at the rear.

Priced at a highly competitive Rs 3.98 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, the Micra is an important landmark for Nissan. The India-made Micra is as much a global car as would those that are produced at five other locations across the globe.

To engineer a successful global platform, Nissan has invested much experience and innovation in it. This is clearly reflected by the Micra. Costs continue to have a bearing and the car, which is not exactly brilliant, and is no mundane either.

Reflecting the strengths and capabilities of the Indian auto suppliers, what the Micra could highlight is an arrangement where suppliers from India, the Far East, China and Latin America align to share knowledge.

The HR12 1.2-litre engine
The V-Platform holds good significance for Nissan in its effort to reach out to the emerging markets. While India gets the HD12 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine mentioned earlier, in Japan, where the car is sold as March, gets a HR12DDR variant. Said to be a close cousin of the motor available in India, the 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine aims at achieving the lowest level of fuel consumption in the world for gasoline-powered cars, with an engine power output equivalent to that of a 1.5-litre engine(s) and CO2 emission of 95 grams per km (New European Drive Cycle). High engine performance and low fuel consumption levels have been achieved through the adoption of the Miller cycle, gasoline direct injection system (DIG), and a highly efficient supercharger, in combination with an idling stop system.

By adopting the Miller cycle, in which the power stroke is enhanced by the compression stroke as a result of delaying the closing timing of the intake valve, the thermal energy of the fuel is converted to kinetic energy much more efficiently than it is with regular 4-stroke cycle engines, and pumping loss caused by intake manifold negative pressure has been reduced. Moreover, the highly compressed and high-temperature air-fuel mixture is cooled by the latent heat of the vaporisation of fuel directly injected into the cylinder, and the temperature of the combustion chamber is lowered by adopting a piston-cooling channel and sodium-filled valves to control detonation. These technologies have enabled a compression ratio of 13 for improved combustion efficiency.

The supercharger is equipped with an automatic on/off clutch, which means that both high fuel efficiency and high engine performance can be achieved by automatically switching off supercharging while driving at low speeds, such as on city roads. Moreover, adoption of a hydrogen-free diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating for the piston rings and a variable displacement oil pump helps to reduce friction by up to 30%, compared with conventional 4-cylinder engines with similar performance levels.

These technologies are the culmination of the company's research and development efforts based on the Nissan Green Program 2010 (NGP 2010) - Nissan's mid-term environmental action plan that includes initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions and introduce truly effective technologies, products and services into the market.