Nissan will launch a full-electric successor to its Micra small car that will be based on a new EV platform shared with the upcoming Renault 5.
The Micra will be designed by Nissan, engineered by alliance partner Renault and built at Renault's ElectriCity network of factories in Douai, France.
The battery-electric hatchback will use Renault-Nissan's new CMF-BEV alliance platform that was announced by alliance executives on Thursday when they unveiled a joint 23 billion-euro ($26 billion) electrification plan.
Nissan said the electric Micra will match internal combustion engine cars on price.
"This is one of most competitive segments in Europe," Ashwani Gupta, Nissan COO, said during the presentation. "To have an electric car in this segment you must be competitive in terms of performance and in terms of price. CMF-BEV is going to be very competitive."
The CMF-BEV platform carries over 60 percent of parts from the CMF-B internal combustion engine platform used by alliance cars such as the Renault Clio and Nissan Juke, Gupta said.
Renault CEO Luca de Me said the platform is designed for cars that are 3,900-mm to 4,200-mm long and it will have room for a battery pack slightly bigger than 50 kilowatt-hours to give a range of up to 400 km (249 miles).
He described the platform as a "gamechanger" for reducing costs, which he said were 33 percent lower than those for the Renault Zoe small-car platform. "This is the best compact EV platform in the world," he said.
