Nissan’s fourth generation March, now made in Thailand instead of locally for the Japanese market, went on sale this week with a new-generation Xtronic CVT gearbox with auxiliary transmission and a newly developed 1.2 litre three-cylinder HR12DE engine.
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The automaker said this achieves both a 25% improvement in fuel economy over 2010 standards and SU-LEV certification, emitting 75% fewer exhaust emissions than 2005 standards with all for trim/equipment specifications. This qualifies the vehicle for Japan’s tax exemption for environmentally friendly vehicles, which gives owners a 75% reduction on both new vehicle acquisition and weight taxes.
The new Japanese market March (it’s the Micra outside Japan) also has an ‘idling stop’ system to help reduce petrol consumption. The new stop-start system automatically stops the engine when the car is stationary and it restarts when the driver turns the steering wheel or the system can be controlled by changes in brake pedal force.
For example, the engine starts again before the driver completely releases the brake pedal, or idling stop continues to function despite the slight change in brake pedal pressure.
An indicator tells the driver when the function is in operation, how long it has been engaged and how much fuel is being saved.
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By GlobalDataWhile idling stop is in operation the air-conditioner works only as a ventilator. If the driver wants to cool or heat the air, the system can be switched off.
The start-stop March variants – higher trim, petrol-only – are the latest of Nissan’s new ‘Pure Drive’ models designed to achieve class leading fuel economy using technologies such as idling stop, ‘clean diesel’ and hybrid. In Japan, these are the first Pure Drive models to be introduced; some are already on sale in other markets.
The new-generation Xtronic CVT combines a belt-operated CVT with an auxiliary two-speed transmission. The CVT raises the transmission ratio by over 20% compared to other CVTs in its class and this is said to enhance responsiveness on starting and acceleration and reduce noise during high speed driving.
With the auxiliary transmission, the size and weight of the CVT unit is significantly reduced. Friction is reduced by about 30% compared to other CVTs in its class, achieved by the increased transmission ratio, reduced pulley size and weight, and reduced oil agitating resistance – helping improve fuel economy. An electric oil pump is adopted in vehicles with idling stop. Quicker oil pressure response improves startup performance and thus contributes to an improvement in fuel economy. While idling stop is in operation, pulley rotation is temporarily locked inside the CVT and is slowly unlocked when the engine starts again. This prevents reverse movement during a hill start and enables smooth startup.
Other new featured include a tyre angle indicator to show wheel direction, steering angle and traveling direction. This is intended for use when starting off, backing into a parking place or making a quick turn.
There’s also a a ‘friendly message display function’ which automatically shows greetings and anniversaries and, Nissan said, “encourages a feeling of closeness with March”.
Sales target is 4,000 units a month and prices in Japan range from JPY999,600 to JPY1,644,300 (US$11,300-$18,500), including consumption tax.
