Making more of superminis
PARIS MOTOR SHOW 2002. In the supermini stakes at Paris, it might be fair to say that the Nissan Micra came out tops on the basis that it is likely the brand's smallest European car will be the biggest seller of any new supermini on display for the first time.
But there was plenty of other competition there too, with Daewoo's Kalos, the Mazda2, Ford's 3-door version of its Fiesta, Hyundai's Getz and various mostly mild makeovers of a number of old favourites.
With the new Micra, less IS more, as the little car is actually shorter than the European Car of the Year-winning model now on its way out but still manages to be more roomy on the inside as it is both wider and taller.
In addition, it will have no less than three petrol engine options along with a 1.5-litre turbodiesel in two separate power outputs, when the full range is available. The petrol units are 1-, 1.2- and 1.4-litre engines. It also has the perky stylistic charm of the current car, which has sold 1.3 million copies since it was introduced 10 years ago.
And it's the first common platform since the merger with Renault some years ago - the Micra uses the same underpinnings as will carry the next Renault Clio.
Mazda's new 2 series car replaces the former 121 - which latter has been a rebadged Ford Fiesta for a number of years. And now it is still based on the Fiesta, the new one, but with some significant touches of its own, particularly the front end family look of the brand. We liked its style, and we'll be interested to see how well it will help to bring Mazda back up the ratings here when it is introduced next year.
Much closer to us is the Daewoo Kalos, on sale next month with a 1.4-litre engine, which in style and size is doing something like the Honda Jazz, but is also 'doing an Ibiza' as it will also have a 4-door saloon which is as smart-looking as they come, from what we saw in Paris. And while we're on that, in the 'crossover' between supermini and small family car, SEAT also launched their latest Cordoba with some of the sexiest razamatazz we've ever come across at a motor show.
Here's the Cordoba car. We'll show you the sexy dancers later. Just to keep you interested.
Hyundai's Getz has appeared before, but will be in Ireland soon enough, and with the Micra's advantage that it has a base engine smaller than most of today's supermini competition. Not as small as the Nissan's bottom line, but at 1.1-litre it should appeal as a starter car in the insurance stakes, and is big enough to ferry more than a starter family. It's going to have a 1.5-litre turbodiesel as well as a 1.3 petrol in its options. And, according to the show blurb, it will have ABS and four airbags as standard.
Ford meanwhile, outside of their StreetKa and C-Max headliners, launched their 3-door Fiesta (above), aimed at the younger buyer and with a variety of specification options. Standard ABS is among the goodies in most markets, and the engine range is familiar from the 5-door which is gaining a fair buyer interest. We should also mention the SportKa (below), a sportified version of the smallest Ford, looking very smart and promising fun with a 1.6-litre engine.
And fun to the most max in the supermini department probably goes to the V6 version of the Clio which promoted that particular model on the Renault stand. With a 255bhp 3-litre engine stuffed behind the front seats, it has to be the most powerful production car ever in the segment. After that, the 6-CD changer in the specification seems irrelevant.
UPCOMING STORIES FROM THE PARIS SHOW
A fillip for family motoring
Glamour round the metal
Clear concepts at the Mondiale
Shining bright for top executives
Toyota trumps the SUVs
EARLIER STORIES FROM PARIS
Citroen shows a 'plurielity' of cars
Ford reveals Streetka, shape of Focus MPV at Paris