Paris Motor Show 2008: Nissan Reveals Green Urban Driving PIXO
October 5, 2008 – 5:35 pm by Ivan ChongPages: 1 2
Grades and Equipment
There will be two versions of PIXO available when sales start in the second quarter of 2009: Visia and Acenta. The entry grade Visia includes power steering, anti-lock brakes, driver and passenger airbags, ISOFIX child seat fixings and a rear wiper. Other standard features include a rear parcel shelf, tilt adjustable steering column and no fewer than four cup holders – two in the front and two in the rear.
Move up to Acenta grade and standard equipment also encompasses keyless entry with power locking, an MP3 compatible CD player, electric front windows, split folding rear seats, front fog lamps, and body coloured door handles and mirrors. The safety story is enhanced further by the inclusion of side airbags as standard.
Principal options include electronic stability control (ESP), manual air conditioning, curtain airbags, alloy wheels and metallic or pearlescent paint.
Drivetrain
There is just one engine option available for PIXO. It’s powered by a compact 1.0-litre three-cylinder all-alloy 12-valve petrol unit developing 65 PS (48 kW) at 6,000rpm and 90 Nm at 4,000rpm.
More significant, however, are the exceptionally low fuel consumption and emissions figures. The five-speed manual version uses 4.6 l/100km on the combined cycle, 4.3 l/100km on the extra urban cycle and only 5.1 l/100km on the urban cycle. Equivalent figures for urban, extra urban and combined cycles are 55.4, 65.7 and 61.4 mpg. CO2 emissions are just 103 g/km.
Unusually in this class, PIXO is also available with a full four-speed automatic, reinforcing its suitability as a town car that’s perfectly capable of longer journeys when needed.
Chassis layout is a combination of tried and trusted components that provide stable handling with good ride comfort characteristics, especially when linked with a long wheelbase and 14 inch wheels. The front suspension uses MacPherson strut while at the rear, a three link isolated trailing link arrangement can be found.
Power assisted rack and pinion steering is standard, while the braking system has front discs and rear drums with the latest anti-lock software. Electronic stability control (ESP) is an option.
Market
PIXO marks Nissan’s first venture into the A-segment of the European market and its arrival coincides with a huge increase in sales. In France, for example, sales of
A-segment cars sales jumped 36 per cent from January to June this year compared to the same period in 2007. Overall, the European market saw a rise of 30 per cent between 2005 and 2007. This was partly due to new models stimulating showroom traffic, but also can be linked to rising fuel prices and environmental concerns.
More than half of the cars sold in the segment produce between 60-70 PS. PIXO develops 65 PS, right in the heartland of the sector. And while the vast majority of the sales are of cars with manual transmission, that is more down to the lack of availability of an automatic than a lack of demand. With the option of a ‘real’ torque converter automatic, PIXO is perfectly placed to dominate a potentially lucrative niche within the sector. At launch, PIXO is expected to be Europe’s most affordable automatic.
More importantly, however, are PIXO’s low CO2 emissions. At just 103 g/km, PIXO is currently among the most efficient petrol-powered cars in the segment.
“PIXO makes a strong environmental statement but also represents an affordable, city car. It will play a key role as part of a wider Nissan strategy to offer a broad selection of cars which are fuel efficient and low emitters,” says Simon Thomas, Nissan’s Senior Vice President for European Sales and Marketing.
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