Say “Micra” and chances are your audience will immediately think back to the highly rounded model from the 90s. The second generation of Nissan’s little one received two facelifts, the first of which brought quite a revised front.
The K11 generation of the Nissan Micra replaced the original Micra in 1992. The external differences could hardly be greater, because where the K10 was drawn with the ruler, there was no straight line on the K11. From the windows to the headlamps and from the door handles to the bumpers, everything was smooth and rounded. The second Micra was therefore typically a product of the 1990s. We do not know whether it is due to its lines, but the K11 became a worldwide success.
In the home country, the car called March served as the basis for many of Mitsuoka’s creations and sedan and even convertible variants appeared on the market. In Europe, Nissan was more careful, but we were still presented with a three- and five-door hatchback. Motor was available from a 1.0 and a 1.3, power sources both known as virtually indestructible. Thanks to the timing chain, a K11 also requires little maintenance, which has undoubtedly contributed to the image as the ideal first car.
In 1997 Nissan thought it was time to take a close look at its compact everyone’s friend. The entire front was overhauled, although the friendly, convex appearance fortunately remained intact. The headlights were replaced by considerably higher ones, the two-piece grille was incorporated in the hood and the front bumper received a slightly larger air intake, which included round fog lamps at an additional cost. The notch in the bumper that had to pass for the bump strip was also split at the rear into two separate copies. At the same time, the taillights received a careful makeover and the logo was included in the strip above the license plate.
This firmly-tuned version of the Micra lasted less than the original, because in 2000 Nissan thought it was time for a second upgrade. The 1.3 made way for a 1.4 and the car was refreshed all around. For example, the car received revised bumpers with different fog lamps and more chrome was used for the grille. Clear headlight lenses and modernized taillights made the car all around ready for the new millennium, while the strip above the license plate was again replaced by another one. Even the rear window wiper did not leave the battle unscathed. Where this part found its original position in the vertical position, the wiper was finally allowed to go through life lying down. The interior was enhanced with new colors and a new steering wheel, after which the even bolder K12 generation took over from its already legendary predecessor in 2003.