-
Nissan’s new supermini voted best in class by Ireland’s motoring media
- Jury member labels it “an exceptional car”
- Expressive design features dynamic proportions and strong character lines
- Uplifting interior has two-tone soft-touch materials as standard
- Intelligent driving technologies mean confident drive for customers
- Unique-to-Micra BOSE Personal audio features speakers in driver’s head rest
PARIS, France (November 27, 2017) –The Nissan Micra has been voted Irish Small Car of the Year 2018 by a panel of Ireland’s leading motoring journalists.
The Micra beat eight other highly competent small hatchbacks. The panel of 30 ICOTY judges awarded points on criteria ranging from innovation and safety to space, comfort, build quality, driving quality and value for money.
Commenting on the result, David Walshe, a member of the ICOTY committee, said: “In the crowded and ultra-competitive small car sector, it was always going to take an exceptional car to win the 2018 Irish Small Car of the Year award. The striking new Nissan Micra is that car”.
James McCarthy, CEO, Nissan Ireland, added: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award. This result is due to a great team effort from all our Nissan colleagues – from the designers of the new Micra, everyone in sales and marketing, but especially our colleagues on the production line who produce outstanding quality products that deserve awards like this.”
The all-new Micra went on sale earlier this year and puts Nissan’s much-loved compact car back into the heart of the B-hatchback segment. It has an expressive design, with dynamic proportions, an athletic exterior and strong character lines.
The uplifting interior is finished in high-quality, soft-touch materials with a two-tone dashboard as standard. The class-leading adjustability and ergonomics of the driving position means exceptional comfort behind the wheel.
Currently the Micra has a choice of three engines – a 0.9-litre 90PS three-cylinder turbo petrol, 1.0-litre 71PS three-cylinder petrol and the 1.5-litre 90PS turbodiesel. All are linked to a five-speed manual transmission. Technologies such as Intelligent Ride Control and Intelligent Trace Control ensure a confident and comfortable drive for customers.
The Micra – now in its fifth generation – is available with a number of innovative safety technologies. Together they give the car a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating as standard, rising to the maximum five stars if the optional Safety+ Pack is fitted. It adds Intelligent Lane Intervention, Intelligent Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Recognition, Traffic Sign Recognition and High Beam Assist to the Micra’s specification.
Intelligent Lane Intervention is a lane departure warning and prevention system, and a first on any Nissan in Europe. When activated, the steering wheel gently vibrates and the brakes are individually applied to guide the car back into its lane. Intelligent Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Recognition can help avoid impacts or reduce the severity of them by automatically applying the car’s brakes.
Unique to Micra is the BOSE Personal audio system. It delivers an immersive 360° sound experience through BOSE digital signal processing and six high-performance speakers. These include the two pioneering BOSE UltraNearfield™ speakers built into the driver’s seat head rest.
The Micra is a car that’s perfect for consumers seeking to express their own personality. It’s available in 10 bold exterior colours, including vibrant Passion Red and Energy Orange. The personalisation program allows for contrasting shades to be added to the bumpers, doors, wheels and door mirrors, as well as elements of the interior. In total, more than 100 personalisation combinations are available to buy.
Customers who have already bought a new Nissan Micra are thrilled with their purchase. Scores posted via independent reviews organisation Reevoo have revealed an impressive average of 8.8 out of 10. A third of reviewers have awarded their Micra top marks – 10 out of 10.
###
Notes for editors
Safety+ Pack is fitted as standard in some markets, giving the Nissan Micra a Euro NCAP rating of five stars as standard.
