Nissan showed up at the 2012 Paris Motor Show to launch some interesting new models, most notably the new Nissan Note, the facelift of the Nissan 370Z, the new Nissan Micra Elle, the Nissan Juke Nismo and the Nissan Terra concept.
This last one is arguably the most significant of the lot, a model that is meant to anticipate technical and stylistic contents of the next wave of crossover cars from the Japanese house, such as the future Nissan Murano.
The futuristic design of the Terra concept makes the car unique and yet very versatile thanks to its high ground clearance.
The Terra is obviously a four-wheel drive car, and is equipped with a fuel cell electric system: each hydrogen pack of this system has the specific power of 2.
5 kW/l, currently the highest in the world.
Nissan did not forget the female audience, showcasing a new pretty ‘girly’ variant of the Nissan Micra named ‘Elle’, created in collaboration with the eponymous fashion magazine.
The Nissan Micra Elle boasts an exclusive trim and an enhanced standard equipment that now include automatic climate control, push-button ignition, Intelligent Key system, heated and electrically folding wing mirrors as well as cruise control with speed limiter.
The model is also characterized by the panoramic glass roof and the chrome trim on the lower section of the grid, door handles, alloy wheels, front fog lights and roof spoiler.
The Nissan Micra Elle is powered by a three-cylinder 1.
2 petrol engine producing 80 hp that can be combined with an automatic or manual transmission.
Another interesting model that the Japanese brand is introducing in Paris is the new Nissan Note, the new generation of the small and compact MPV that comes with completely renewed aesthetics.
The overall proportions are the same we have become accustomed to in the past, but the looks of the front-end have changed radically, with a newly designed grille embedded right in between its equally new pair of headlights, in line with the new stylistic course adopted by the Japanese house.
The front bumper shows clean and elegant design, while the side shows a line that generates volume and increases the appeal of the car.
At the rear, the new tail-lights are quite reminiscent of the previous version of the Nissan Note, while the interiors are also new and well-thought, offering more space to the occupants and displaying several references taken from other cars of the Nissan range, such as the Micra for instance.
The car will be offered with a naturally aspirated 1.
2L petrol producing 80 hp – that will also be offered in a turbocharged version producing 98 hp – and a 1.
5 diesel unit, capable of 110 hp.
Both units can be combined with either a manual or an automatic transmissions.
At the Nissan booth in Paris there is also the purely aesthetic facelift of Nissan 370Z.
Next year the Nissan 370Z will have two new color options for the delivery, Magma Red and Midnight Blue, with a new front end characterized by a redesigned central air-intake and two narrow LED strips on the sides of the bumper.
The engine remains the 3.
7-liter V6 of the current version, credited with an output of 328 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 363 Nm.