Nissan’s local boss has hinted at the potential for the Micra nameplate to return to Australia as an electric vehicle (EV), as the Japanese brand rejigs its strategy Down Under.
“It’s an interesting question [and it’s] definitely being looked at. Along with our entire portfolio, we’ve revisited our entire mid-term plan and said ‘what is our entry level?’ and ‘where do we need it to be?’, and ‘where do we want to compete’?” said Andrew Humberstone, the managing director for Nissan Oceania which includes Australia.
“Let’s not try and be everything to everybody, but at the end of the day let’s build our brand, let’s retain our customers, but let’s be authentic to what we’re trying to achieve, and in that find the right product.
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Above: Nissan Micra (top); Renault 5 E-Tech (bottom)
“Some of those will be cross-badged, some of those won’t be cross-badged, some of them are opportunities. So again, revisiting literally from the bottom to the top of the range.
“We’re being very creative and agile at the moment, but we’re in the heart of that work right now.”
Mr Humberstone’s reference to ‘cross-badged’ vehicles is a strong indicator that the new Micra is a chance for the Australian market, given it is effectively a reskinned version of the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric that’s also highly likely for a local introduction in the coming 12-18 months.
The Micra appears to be Nissan’s only rebadged vehicle from another manufacturer currently, given the X-Trail, Patrol, Navara are ‘cross-badged’ with different names in overseas markets, though a rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will soon go on sale as the Rogue Plug-in Hybrid in the US – where the X-Trail is known as the Rogue.
The sixth-generation Nissan Micra was revealed in May 2025, and is due to go on sale in Europe in the coming months and be built at Renault’s ElectriCity factory in Douai, France.
Based on the Renault AmpR Small platform that’s shared with the Renault 4 and Renault 5 E-Tech Electric models, the Micra will be offered abroad with 40kWh and 52kWh battery options, the latter offering 418km of range on the WLTP cycle.
In Europe, the new Micra will come as standard with a heat pump for both battery variants, while 100kW DC fast-charging allows a 15-80 per cent charge for the larger battery in 30 minutes. Further, it offers V2L capability to charge electric appliances.
Pricing for the new Micra kicks off at £22,995 ($47,386) in the UK, with the 52kWh model starting from £26,995 ($55,629).
Direct currency conversions don’t tell the whole story though, given the most affordable Nissan Juke in the UK is £24,045 ($49,549) whereas the equivalent spec in Australia is $29,165 before on-roads.
Above: 2016 Nissan Micra
Nissan Australia discontinued the Micra micro car in 2016, ending a decade-lomg run of the nameplate locally with the third- and fourth-generation models, while the second-generation car was sold here in the 1990s.
The reintroduction of the Micra – should the new EV make it Down Under – would see the return of a mainstream passenger car nameplate for the Nissan brand in Australia too, given the only non-SUV or ute it offers right now is the Z sports car.
A compact EV in the $30,000-$45,000 bracket would put Nissan in contention with numerous key models, largely from Chinese brands. The BYD Dolphin, Hyundai Inster and MG 4 all spring to mind as direct EV rivals.
In the wake of Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) emissions legislation, Nissan is looking to bring more efficient and electrified models – like the Ariya mid-size electric and the soon-to-be e-Power-only Qashqai small SUV – to offset its higher emitters like the Patrol large SUV and Navara dual-cab ute.
Nissan Australia has just launched the Ariya – some three years after it launched overseas – and has committed to bringing the new-generation Leaf electric SUV in 2026.
Earlier this year Nissan’s global parent outlined its product plans for the coming years, coinciding with the reveal of the new Leaf and Micra, as well as Australian confirmation of the new Ariya, Navara, Patrol, Leaf and Qashqai e-Power before the end of 2026.
By the end of the 2026 Japanese financial year (ie: before the end of March 2027), Nissan will also introduce the aforementioned Rogue Plug-in Hybrid ‘cross-badge’ to the US, alongside a next-generation Rogue (X-Trail) which will commence production in the US during the same period.
A facelifted Pathfinder SUV is due to hit the North American market in the short-term (Australian details remain TBC), as well as a new Sentra sedan for the US and Chinese markets.
Read more about the announcement here.
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