Xclusive Scoop: Slightly Different Nissan Micra Facelift Spotted in Pune

Barely a few days back, Nissan launched a proper facelifted version of its Micra hatch in Thailand which looked a lot better than the current version we have in India.

A few online reports also said that this Micra facelift is not coming to India. And here we are putting all those speculations to rest. Pictured here are the first spyshots of a Nissan Micra facelift caught in Pune. Do not get confused with the price-cut Micra Active that has been getting caught almost everyday.

This is a proper facelift of Micra and will replace the current Micra, probably soon. So let us jump to what we can notice:

• New Headlamps: The headlamps get wacky and are inspired from Nissan Extrem concept which the company displayed at Sao Paulo Auto Show in October 2012. These headlamps are different from the Thailand facelifted Micra/March
• New Grille: The front gets a new honeycomb grille which has appears to have a hidden ‘V’ chrome lines and the ‘Nissan’ logo sitting in the trench. This is similar to Thailand’s Micra facelift
• New Front Bumper: Though not visible in the pics, but the front bumper, airdam and other bits appear to be carried over from the Thailand facelift.
• Altered Rear: Moving to the back, the car has an extended opening hatch. This is seen for the first time. 
• Rest of the bits are right up from Thailand’s Micra. The rear opening hatch, keyhole and ‘Nissan’ logo all sit one under the other. The tail lamps and rear bumper are straight off the latest Micra/March facelift from Thailand.

This mule has all the badges covered and appears to be a potpourri of various trims. At the one end its the presence of non-body colored bumpers from lower variants and on the other, it carries rear wiper, body colored door handles which are generally available on higher trims. A quick sneak inside and the front seat headrests also appear to be slightly different. Its not clear if these are integrated or not.

These pictures we shared by an avid MotorBash reader Pronoy Banerjee and this test mule was caught in Pune. Appearance in Pune might also hint to the fact that it has come to ARAI for some testing. With these pictures we have made sure that apart from a price cut version, Nissan is also working on a facelifted Micra which will be launched soon. According to what we can make out, this facelift will definitely help Micra shed a lot of its feminine looks.

The Nissan Micra facelift is expected to carry the same 1.2L 3 cylinder petrol mill along with the 1.5L K9K diesel engine. We can always expect a few tweaks to make the car a better driver.