Nissan Micra 1.0 DX
Light weight and a tiny all-aluminium engine helped Nissan's first Micra make simple city travel use very little machinery.
Nissan Micra in Cambridge, photographed in 1983 · Charles01 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Research pending
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More than a set of wheels.
Nissan showed the NX-018 concept at the 1981 Tokyo Motor Show, invited the public to help name the production car and launched it in Japan as the March in October 1982. Overseas the same K10 family became the Micra. The European 1.0 DX followed in December with a three-door body, four-speed manual and a base curb weight of about 630 kg.
Look a little closer.
Before Nissan chose 'March,' people in Japan could send in suggestions during a public naming campaign.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
March at home, Micra abroad
The badges mark markets, not generations. Nissan's heritage archive explicitly calls the overseas car Micra and the Japanese car March. The DX trim is supported for the European Micra, so the market correction prevents a real export specification from being presented as a Japanese one.
Source: Nissan Heritage Collection · March K10 history ↗Lightness was a form of performance
The DX's 37 kW output looks modest, but the catalogue base curb weight is only 630 kg. A light car needs less force to start, stop and change direction. That helps explain why an economical one-litre engine could serve as the whole car's central idea rather than merely a budget compromise.
Source: Automobile-Catalog · 1982 Micra 1.0 DX ↗Where these facts come from
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-02.