The new Pixo will revive a badge that was ditched in 2013. Can Nissan make a mark with its Japanese version of the Renault Twingo E-Tech in the booming affordable EV segment?
To be clear: Nissan hasn’t unveiled the Pixo yet. But on World EV Day, the Japanese brand confirmed what everybody already suspected: the Pixo name returns as an electric city car thanks to the partnership with Renault. The batteries and basic engineering is shared with the Renault Twingo E-Tech. The full reveal is slated for September 23.
Attacking the entry point
With the Pixo Nissan will attack the entry point where the real volume is shifting. The city car will be built at Renault’s Novo Mesto plant in Slovenia, so the carmaker can sidestep the development costs that burden the profitability of small EVs.
Ofcourse, the scenario is not new. This double agent tactic is the same as with the Renault 5 E-Tech and the Nissan Micra. Shared costs and mutual scale benefits are still an important strategy in a market where every euro per kilowatt-hour counts.
This also means that the EU market is provided with three cars from the same Ampr Small blueprint that the Renault group developed together with its Shanghai division: next to the Pixo and the Twingo, also the new Dacia Spring builds on these underpinnings.
Dealer proximity
Details remain deliberately scarce. But as with the Micra, it seems unlikely that Nissan will inject strong differentation apart from the design and the interior ambiance. This is more about dealer proximity than product identity – though Nissan has a tendency of charging extra over a more premium position with more standard equipment.
We can expect the 27.5 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery from the Twingo which feeds a 60 kW front-mounted motor, good for 82 hp and up to 263 km on the WLTP cycle. Charging peaks at 50 kW DC, which means a 10-80 % stop takes about half an hour.
Home charging is at 6.6 kW, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Nissan moves the 11 kW charger from the option list to the standard equipment.
Adequate timing
The Pixo will be a conventional city car, matching Europe’s standard safety and emissions regulations. It will not comply with the ‘made in Europe’ E-car, or EM1-project for which the European Commission is still outlining the final details.
Still, the timing is adequate. The affordable electric segment is on fire in Europe. As Newmobility.news reported earlier, the Volkswagen’s ID. Polo racked up more than 30,000 orders since April, with waiting times now stretching to ten months.
Instructional videos
Even in Belgium, where fleet buyers still dominate the podium with premium models costing north of 40,000 euros, private customers are warming up to cheaper electric runabouts. This clearly points to the unambiguous message that this customer pool, which is quintessential for broader BEV adoption, has been eagerly awaiting affordibility.
Nissan knows that many buyers of the Pixo will be completely new to the game. Before the veils are dropped, Nissan has launched an educational prelude under the guise of a a five-part YouTube series called EV? Easy! From the degradation process of batteries to vehicle-to-home energy sharing, every aspect is covered in a deliberately accessible language.
