Nissan will revive the Pixo name for its new city car, which will be unveiled later this month and positioned below the Micra as the entry point to its electric line-up.
The new A-segment EV will be based on Alliance partner Renault’s Twingo and will be built by the French firm alongside that model. It is part of an agreement between the two firms that also includes the new Micra, which is a reworked version of the Renault 5.
Previewed by a short teaser video, the new Pixo will be revealed in full on 23 September and Nissan has claimed it will “bring fresh, fun character to the compact EV segment”.
Nissan added that the new Pixo was “created for modern urban life” and will combine “compact dimensions with intuitive technology and distinctive Nissan design”.
While no technical details have been disclosed, its spec is likely to be identical to the Twingo’s, featuring an 80bhp front-mounted electric motor powered by a 27.5kW battery for a range of around 155 miles. As with the Micra, it is expected to be a close match for its Renault sibling on price too, meaning a likely starting price of £17,000.
Nissan had hinted that it would use an established nameplate for the new city car and previous reports had suggested the firm was leaning towards Wave. However, Pixo has some heritage in Europe, having been used for a reworked version of the Indian-market Suzuki Alto that was sold in the UK from 2009 until 2013. At the time, it was one of the cheapest cars on sale in the UK, priced from £5995.
Autocar has previously been told that new model will channel the 1980s design spirit of Nissan’s Pike retro cars, something backed up by the preview video’s retro arcade game aesthetic.
The new Pixo will be the entry point to Nissan’s growing European EV line-up, which also includes the Micra, the new Leaf and the larger Ariya.
