Geneva show: Nissan teases new premium light hatch

NISSAN has previewed its Sway light-car concept ahead of next week’s Geneva motor show, which could go on the be the Japanese car-maker's Ford Fiesta-rival in Europe.

The Sway is set to follow the new styling direction that has already produced the Qashqai and X-Trail crossovers. The Qashqai, in particular, is a very strong performer for Nissan in Europe.

It is expected that the concept will preview a new B-segment car that will be based on the platform that underpins the current Renault Clio. It will most likely be sized similarly to key B-segment performers such as Ford’s Fiesta and Volkswagen’s Polo.

The single image portrays a hatchback-style vehicle with Nissan’s corporate V-Motion grille and a front end treatment that is reminiscent of the European-spec Pulsar.

It’s unclear as to whether Nissan will position its potential new player as the K14 Micra. While the nameplate has experienced some success in the European market in earlier iterations, Nissan’s current B-segment player has failed to make any significant inroads into Europe, despite a facelift last year.

Nissan’s European line-up already includes a similarly-sized car in the Note, which is assembled at Nissan’s Sunderland plant. However, it’s expected that the Sway concept will point towards a more stylish, well-equipped and better-driving vehicle than the mini MPV-esque Note.

Nissan Australia was unable to add anything further to the overseas-sourced release. It plans to introduce a facelifted version of the Micra in April this year – the same facelift that debuted in Europe in 2013 – and it was still considering its options in regards to the Note.

Micra sales in Australia slid 44 per cent in 2014 to 2419 units, slipping to third in the micro-car class behind Mitsubishi’s resurgent Mirage (6478) and the Fiat 500 (2995).