Nissan Micra Named Car of the Year 30 Years Ago

This award given to the little Nissan was then considered one of the most prestigious. It was a first for a Japanese car.

More commonly known as COTY (Car of The Year), this distinction has today lost some of its value due to the intense lobbying by manufacturers, and mainly because it is impossible to objectively isolate a vehicle among so many technologies!

But in 1993, it was undoubtedly the most prestigious award a car and a brand could receive. Until this generation of Micra (known as March in some countries), no Japanese car had received this prize in almost 30 years of existence! This proves that this city car was able to adapt to the tastes of customers on the Old Continent while remaining a global car. Behind its appearance as an economical small city car, the Micra demonstrated outstanding durability, and made safety a priority by introducing in the 1990s the dual airbags, ABS, and pretensioner seat belts. A well-deserved recognition, which was also followed by immense success. After only four years on the market, the Micra/March sold over three million units worldwide.

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