Flip-top Nissan Micra unveiled

LITTLE cars with folding tin lids continue to sprout from their hard-headed siblings, with Nissan the latest on the scene with the production-ready Micra C+C.

To be built in the Sunderland, England, from around December, and now under (wistful rather than serious) consideration for Australia along with the standard hatch, the 2+2 Micra C+C has a large glass "C-View" roof which Nissan claims is a first in class.

First shown as a concept at the 2002 Paris motor show, this final version is 110mm lower and 90mm longer overall than the Micra hatch, with the extra length realised at the rear of the car to create room to stow the hardtop.

The hardtop can be lowered or raised with the touch of a button – there are now manual latches at the windscreen header rail – in a claimed 22 seconds, folding clamshell-style beneath the double-hinged trunk lid.

With the roof lowered, the boot area provides 221 litres of stowage space, rising to 426 litres when the lid is in place.

In Europe and the UK, the car will be available with either a 65kW 1.4-litre or 81kW 1.6-litre engine.