Neither Twingo nor Spring: 259 km and 17,500 € for the new Nissan PIXO electric vehicle

The Nissan PIXO was a 5-door city car available in Europe from 2009 to 2013, based on the Suzuki Alto. It is now returning as a budget electric vehicle developed alongside the Renault Twingo — and as a twin to the upcoming Dacia Spring — with an estimated price of around 17,500 € before Auto+ subsidies.

Nissan just unveiled its new PIXO city car today. Compared to the Renault Twingo, which we’ve already tested and has a range of 263 km, or the Dacia Spring — also based on the Renault platform — with a 250 km range, the Nissan PIXO offers 259 km of range. It’s understandable, as it’s practically the same car.

Nissan builds on a Renault electric vehicle: it will cost around 17,500 €

Just as it did with the current Nissan Micra, based on the successful Renault 5 E-TECH, Nissan — which has just refreshed its best-selling electric car — aims to create a cheap urban electric vehicle for Europe with the PIXO to boost its sales.

The chosen base model this time was clear: the new Renault Twingo and its AmpR Small platform from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Thus, while the French city car is 3.79 meters long, the new Nissan PIXO boasts the same length — specifically 3.796 m — 1.79 m in width, 1.51 m in height, and a wheelbase of 2.49 meters. Its dimensions are almost identical to those of its French counterpart and very similar to the upcoming Dacia Spring, as that Romanian model is also based on the same platform.

In terms of mechanics, it’s basically the same as before. The new Nissan PIXO will feature the well-known 60 kW / 80 hp engine already used in the Twingo, along with its identical 27.5 kWh LFP battery, which will provide a WLTP range of 259 km.

The best part is that this battery can be charged at 11 kW using home charging—improving upon the Twingo and Spring, which charge at 6.6 kW—and at 50 kW with fast charging, allowing it to go from 15% to 80% charge in 28 minutes.

As for the trunk space, the PIXO turns out to be almost a twin brother of the Twingo. Nissan claims its next urban electric vehicle will have a capacity of 356 L, which rises to 1,221 L when the rear seatbacks are folded down. The Twingo, meanwhile, boasts a maximum capacity of up to 360 L and over 1,000 L with the seats folded.

Unique design and starting at 17,500 € without Auto+ plan

Contrasted with the casual design of the Renault Twingo, the new Nissan PIXO features a more conventional look with trapezoidal front headlights and a futuristic lighting layout, as well as more square-looking bumpers and tires with a different design. The rear end also has straighter lines compared to its French counterpart, along with specific taillights and a more pronounced, cutting-edge lighting arrangement.

As for the interior—approved for four passengers—it is slightly different from that of the Twingo, though they share elements such as the lower area and the climate control module. The Nissan PIXO uses the same screens as the Renault, namely a 7” screen for the dashboard and another central 10.1” screen.

Regarding its price, Nissan states outright that it “will be announced in the near future.” However, given the similar pricing between the Renault 5 E-TECH and the Nissan Micra, and since Renault currently sells the Twingo for less than 17,500 euros—specifically 17,463 euros, before accounting for the 4,050 euros in subsidies the Twingo can receive under Plan Auto+—Nissan should aim for a similar price point to remain competitive in the Spanish market.

For now, Nissan has not indicated when its new PIXO will hit the market, but everything suggests it will arrive within a few months. The new Nissan PIXO will be manufactured—just like the Twingo—at Renault Group’s factory in Novo Mesto, Slovenia.