Nissan is set to end the sale of its compact March – sold locally as the Micra – in Japan this month after the model’s production came to an end in the carmaker’s Thailand plant at the end of July.
Production of the hatchback was shifted to Thailand from Japan back in 2010 so that Nissan’s subsidiary Nissan Motor Thailand could join the Thai Eco Car programme.
In recent times, the March has struggled to compete with rival vehicles such as the Honda Fit (Jazz) and Toyota Yaris. This ultimately fueled the decision to end the car’s production and sale.
With Nissan making a shift to electrified powertrains, it’s clear to see why the March was culled. Nissan’s fully electric Leaf has essentially replaced the need for an internal combustion engine-powered hatchback.
Nissan New Zealand no longer sells the Micra, favouring a range of SUVs like the Juke, X-Trail and Qashqai instead, alongside the compact electric Leaf.
The same can be said for other markets around the world like Canada which stopped selling the model in 2019. Europe still sells the model as well as South Africa, Israel, Turkey and Morocco but for how long, who knows.
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