Nissan rules out Pixo and Micra baby EVs for Australia despite right-hand-drive production

Nissan closes the door on its smallest EVs

Nissan will not bring either of its new pint-size electric hatchbacks to Australia, despite the pair being built in right-hand drive. CarExpert reports that Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette said of the Pixo and Micra: "It's not something we're looking at," while a Nissan spokesperson added the models have been developed for the European market. According to CarExpert, the right-hand-drive production is intended for the UK only, and the models will not be offered in other RHD markets such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan. ¹

The confirmation resolves the question that had hung over both cars since their European reveals. Earlier coverage from cars24.com.au, published a week before Milette's comments, reported only that an Australian launch for the Pixo was unconfirmed and that no local pricing or right-hand-drive availability had been indicated. That position has now been superseded by the Nissan Oceania chief's explicit ruling-out, as reported by CarExpert. ¹²

What the Pixo offers in Europe

The Pixo is Nissan's lightly restyled version of the new Renault Twingo E-Tech electric city car, revealed in September with restyled front and rear ends and a revised dashboard, among other changes, CarExpert reports. In UK-market specification it features a 27.5kWh battery that can be charged at up to 50kW on DC power and offers up to 259km of WLTP range, driving a 60kW/175Nm electric motor with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 11.9 seconds. The UK-market model goes on sale there early next year. ¹

cars24.com.au adds further detail from the European launch: the Pixo's battery is lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry, 50kW DC fast charging is standard across the range, and Nissan says charging from 15 to 80 per cent takes 28 minutes. The same report quotes Nissan's range figure of around 257km, based on European-market information with the applicable testing standard unspecified, and notes a 9.9-metre turning circle and a 356-litre boot with the sliding rear seats pushed forward. European deliveries are expected from early 2027, with production alongside the Twingo at Renault's plant in Slovenia. ²

CarExpert gives the Pixo's dimensions as 3796mm long, 1953mm wide (1790mm excluding mirrors) and 1512mm tall on a 2492mm wheelbase, making it around 200mm shorter than a BYD Atto 1. cars24.com.au separately describes a "bold, cube-shaped silhouette" with pixel-style wheels and robot-face design details, a 7.0-inch driver's display, a 10-inch central touchscreen with Google built-in and the Gemini AI assistant on most versions, 24 advanced driver assistance systems and hands-free parking. ¹²

The Micra: Nissan's first electric city car

The latest Micra was revealed in 2025 and, as CarExpert notes, is the sixth generation of the nameplate and the first to offer electric power. Based on the Renault 5 E-Tech, it comes with a choice of a 40kWh battery that fast-charges at up to 80kW on DC power and offers 315km of range, or a 52kWh battery that charges at up to 100kW with 414km of range. CarExpert lists a base 90kW motor with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 9.0 seconds and a more powerful 110kW motor a second quicker. At 3974mm long, 2020mm wide (1830mm excluding mirrors) and 1499mm tall on a 2541mm wheelbase, the Micra is similar in length to an Atto 1 but slightly wider. ¹

Figures from CarExpert's earlier European quick drive of the Micra differ slightly from the headline figures in its news report, and they should be read as separate published datasets rather than reconciled: that review quotes a 416km claimed range for the 52kWh version, a 319km official figure for the 40kWh with the 90kW motor, an 8.0-second claimed 0-100km/h time for the 110kW/52kWh car, claimed consumption of 14.7kWh/100km (against 15.8kWh/100km as tested), and an 11kW maximum AC charge rate. The review's dimensions are marginally different too, at 1744mm wide and 1498mm tall on a 2540mm wheelbase. ³

CarExpert's drive, conducted at the Micra's European launch in Rotterdam, found a positive driving experience with direct steering and assured handling inherited from the Renault 5, Google-based infotainment with twin 10.1-inch displays, and equipment highlights including adaptive cruise control, heated front seats, a Harman Kardon nine-speaker stereo, a heat pump and 18-inch alloy wheels, across 14 exterior paint colours with two-tone options. Rear passenger space is limited, and executives suggested no Nismo version is planned. ³

Why the Renault twins are also absent

The Nissan models' absence from Australia mirrors the situation with their Renault underpinnings. CarExpert reports that neither the Renault 5 E-Tech nor the Twingo E-Tech has been confirmed for this market either, and that Renault Australia has specifically said the Renault 5 E-Tech doesn't comply with a local Australian Design Rule regarding child-seat anchor points, something that would require an investment to address. ¹

Nissan's thin local EV line-up and what it is eyeing instead

Nissan Australia hasn't offered a light car since it axed the fourth-generation Micra in 2016, CarExpert notes. Its EV line-up is now down to just the Ariya mid-size electric SUV following the end of production for the second-generation Leaf, whose coupe SUV-styled third-generation successor was confirmed for local launch and then subsequently delayed "indefinitely". Asked by CarExpert whether the Leaf decision had changed, Milette said: "So Leaf, as it is, the decision has not changed," adding, "Conditions really have not changed from a business case perspective. But, having a more accessible EV... that we continue to look at within the organisation." ¹

Rather than looking to its European line-up, Nissan Australia has confirmed it is evaluating various vehicles from its Chinese-market line-up, according to CarExpert, including the NX8, a medium-to-large electric SUV that is also offered as an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV). That positions the brand's local EV strategy around larger models, leaving the genuinely small electric car segment — where cars24.com.au notes genuinely small EVs remain a relatively limited part of the Australian new-car market — without any Nissan contender. ¹²