Micra DIG-S set to clean up European cities

Nissan’s latest iteration of its popular Micra city car, the Micra DIG-S, is the newest vehicle to be released by the company as part of its PURE DRIVE strategy aimed at creating low fuel consumption technologies for internal combustion engines.

Featuring an advanced petrol engine that produces only 95g CO2/km, the DIG-S (Direct Injection Gasoline-Supercharger) is designed to not only lower emissions but to reduce the cost of motoring overall. European drivers in particular are set to benefit from the DIG-S the most. Drivers in the UK for example, will not have to pay any annual road tax for owning a car that produces less than 100g CO2/km and will be exempt from London’s daily congestion charge. French drivers will receive a €400 payment from the government for purchasing the DIG-S, while motorists in Holland will be exempt from the country’s BMP tax, saving an estimated €1000.

The DIG-S makes use of the Miller cycle and direct petrol injection to increase its compression ratio to 13 to 1 for a claimed combined efficiency of 4.1 l/100km. The supercharger is added for instant throttle response, which powers the Micra’s 72kW, three-cylinder engine to a top speed of 180 km/h. The DIG-S also features Start/Stop functionality as well as energy regeneration.

Nissan’s Vice President Product Strategy and Planning, Pierre Loing, said of the DIG-S “No other petrol-powered compact hatchback can match its overall efficiency... and it is more than a match for an equivalent diesel.”

"We have been able to achieve this ultra low CO2 figure in a cost effective package and without the complication of particulate filters needed to clean up diesel engine emissions and which are not entirely compatible with a car that spends much of its life in the city."

The DIG-S will debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show and is expected to be available in Nissan dealerships over the summer.