At the Paris International Motor Show Nissan will reveal an all-new city car, an electric city car concept and an updated version of the Note.

The Pixo is a five-door city car with seats for four. Built in Delhi in a co-operative venture with the Suzuki Motor Company it uses a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine that can be specified with manual or automatic transmission. No performance or fuel consumption figures are available as yet, but Nissan claims the lightweight vehicle will impress. Expect more details of the Pixo to be revealed at the Paris show - sales will start in late spring 2009.

Looking further ahead the Nuvu is Nissan's "new view" - the city car of the next decade. It is about half a metre shorter than the Pixo at just three metres long. Instead of making a car with four tiny seats the Nuvu uses a 2+1 seating layout. The third seat folds out when needed and there is luggage space for "a typical shopping expedition". An unusual design touch is leaf-shaped solar panels set into the glass roof; these feed the battery through a "tree trunk" conduit inside the car. Drive comes from an electric motor that is shared with an electric vehicle due to be launched at Tokyo next year.

The Nissan Note has been updated with a revised grille, headlight and bumper design to freshen the looks. New 15- and 16-inch alloy wheels are offered as well as a new pale green exterior colour called Cider. The instruments and dashboard have been changed to improve legibility and provide a cleaner appearance. Alterations to the suspension are claimed to improve comfort and enhance responsiveness. Alterations to the transmission will allow Nissan to offer the 1.5-litre dCi Note with carbon dioxide emissions of 119g/km, and a 1.4-litre petrol engine with 139g/km CO₂. Launch dates for the diesel and petrol models are September and October respectively.

Along with these vehicles Nissan's stand will feature the new Murano and Qashqai+2. The Paris Mondial de l'Automobile runs from 2nd to 19th October. Show visitors will find Nissan in Hall 1.

John Lambert - 8 Sep 2008