Nissan Micra Nismo hot hatch due as brand takes walk on the wild side

It’s looking like our wild idea of a Nissan Micra Nismo hot hatchback could become a reality. The Japanese carmaker has pledged to launch five new high-performance models and the supermini hot hatch is likely to be at the head of the queue. 

We had already received several hints from Nissan’s top-brass that a souped-up Micra was on the cards as part of a plan to expand the Nismo range. We now know this will see the number of performance models in the brand’s line-up double, from five to 10.

Nissan hasn’t announced what these will be yet, but a Micra Nismo seems almost certain as there have been hot versions of said supermini in the past and because the Alpine A290 hot hatch is based on the same platform.  

The Japanese brand also said it will “actively consider collaborations with external partners” to create these new Nismo models. Alpine did a lot of work turning the Renault 5 – of which the Micra is simply a rebadged and restyled version – into the A290, and a quick peek at its homework could be an efficient way of Nissan giving the electric supermini more power and a more focused chassis. 

For instance, the new Micra produces up to 148bhp, while the e-motor in the A290 spits out up to 217bhp in the most serious GTS version; enough for 0-62mph in just under six seconds. But Alpine didn’t just chuck in a more powerful engine, its engineers also gave the chassis a wider track, bigger wheels, larger brakes and uprated suspension. 

We still have to wait a little longer for absolute confirmation that the Micra Nismo is happening, but we suspect something built in homage to the original Nissan Micra Super Turbo could be just around the corner. That car, coincidentally, also had a secondary set of inset spot lights – just like you’ll also find on an Alpine A290. For now, watch this space.

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