The Nissan Micra has been discontinued in South Africa, bringing an end to one of the brand’s most well-known vehicles.
The Micra has been on the local market for 18 years, beginning with the launch of the third-generation K12 model in South Africa in 2004, as the country did not receive the first two iterations from 1982 and 1992, respectively.
Following its global debut in 2010, the fourth-generation Micra then made its way to our shores in 2011, and it later saw an upgrade to the Micra Active in 2017.
After this, the South African launch of the fifth-generation Micra took place in 2018, including models like the Acenta with one of the first 0.9-litre engines on the market.
However, the Micra never managed to carve out as big of a market share as other models within the small car segment and it struggled to compete with the likes of more affordable hatchbacks such as the locally-produced VW Polo.
According to vehicle sales data provided by Naamsa, less than 100 Micras were sold in South Africa in 2022 before Nissan pulled the plug.
Nissan’s not giving up on the hatch
Despite the Micra no longer being on offer in South Africa, Nissan is continuing to build hatchbacks for other markets.
The automaker’s next-generation hatchback, which at this point is unlikely to make an appearance in local dealers, is expected to be an all-electric model which will be built on the same platform as the new electrified Renault 5.
However, it has not been confirmed whether the new electric hatchback will necessarily bear the Micra namesake.
The Nissan Micra is the latest hatchback to be discontinued in South Africa, following on from Datsun’s withdrawal from the country, and Ford ceasing production of the Figo and Fiesta.
As for Nissan South Africa, it still has seven vehicles on the market competing in multiple segments, including the Almera sedan, Magnite and Qashqai crossovers, Navara and NP200 bakkies, and the Patrol and X-Trail SUVs.
TopAuto reached out to Nissan South Africa for comment as to why the manufacturer decided to end the sale of the Micra and if we can expect something to take its place, but it did not respond by time of publication.
Keyword: Nissan Micra discontinued in South Africa