Nissan Micra C+C: First Look

Motoring Channel Staff - 15/9/2005

The latest chapter in the Micra story is set to open with the arrival of the Micra C+C coupé/convertible which was designed and engineered in the UK and will be built there, too.

Thanks to its clever folding roof, Micra C+C allows owners the best of both worlds: fresh air when the weather allows and hardtop protection when it doesn’t.

But the Micra C+C has another trick up its well-tailored sleeve – a "C-View" glass roof that allows the elements to be enjoyed even in the depths of winter, a first in its class.

"The beauty of the Micra C+C lies in its elegant glass hardtop. Micra C+C is the only coupé/convertible in its class to have this feature which allows the owner to enjoy the feeling of open air motoring at all times no matter how the weather is behaving," said Brian Carolin, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Nissan Europe.

Development and production of the hardtop has been undertaken for Nissan by Karmann, specialists in the design and production of convertible models.

In common with all European Micras, Micra C+C will be built at Sunderland so Karmann has established a small production facility within Nissan Motor UK (NMUK) where the hardtop modules will be fitted to the Micra platforms.

Undeniably elegant, Micra C+C is lower and longer than the hatchback Micra. The roof line, dictated by the steeply raked windscreen, is 110mm lower than on the conventional car while it is also 90mm longer overall: the extra length is all to the rear of the car, to create the room needed to stow the hardtop behind the rear +2 seats.

The hardtop itself is a work of art. It can be raised or lowered with one touch of a button while the vehicle is on the move and takes just 22 seconds to fold clamshell-style beneath the double-hinged trunk lid. It is hinged at the bottom and opens front to rear when the roof is raised or lowered, and at the top when opened conventionally to stow luggage.

Thanks to the Auto-Open Roof, just one button needs to be pushed when hydraulically raising or lowering the roof – an automatic latching system does away with the need to manually lock or unlock the roof’s leading edge to the windscreen header rail.

But as well as having stunning looks, Micra C+C remains resolutely practical, enjoying class leading luggage space. With the roof lowered the boot area provides 221 litres of stowage space, which rises to an impressive 426 litres when it is in place. In addition the cabin has many clever storage areas, most of which are lockable allowing the car to be left unattended even when the roof is down.

The Micra C+C, which represents a €150 million investment, will be available with either the recently enhanced 65kW (88hp) 1.4-litre petrol engine or the newly developed 81kW (110hp) 1.6-litre 16-valve twin camshaft petrol unit as powers the potent new Micra 160SR in Europe.