Nissan Pixo, a fun car with an unforgettable name
The Japanese brand presents its affordable electric urban vehicle
In Japan, they probably haven't given much thought to what the name of their new affordable electric vehicle means in Catalan. In fact, it wouldn't be the first time a car brand has christened one of its cars with a funny and somewhat ill-advised commercial name: it is worth remembering the Nissan Moco, Mazda Laputa, Opel Cascada, Opel Manta, Ford Corrida or Hyundai Kona, among others.
Beyond the many jokes that Nissan's new urban electric car will surely face, the Pixo is a product designed for large European cities thanks to the 259 kilometers of range promised by its technical specifications and dimensions of just 3.7 meters long, 1.79 wide, and 1.5 high. The Pixo aims to complete Nissan's current commercial offering in the electric segment, positioning itself as an entry-level step for the brand's electric vehicles with a positioning and price lower than those of the Nissan Ariya, Leaf, or Micra.
The twin brother of the Twingo
Although Nissan and Renault are not going through the best moment in their commercial and industrial relationship, the new Pixo is the umpteenth car that shares a platform, mechanics, and modular elements with a vehicle from the other manufacturer, in this case the Renault Twingo. This means, among other things, that the Pixo uses the same platform with LFP batteries of 27.5 kWh capacity, which allow a theoretical range of 259 kilometers and a fast charging point of up to 50 kW that allows charging up to 80% of the battery in just 28 minutes.
Regarding the engine, the new Pixo uses the 82 hp or 60 kW electric motor associated with the One Pedal technology, which allows managing the regenerative braking to take advantage of the vehicle's kinetic energy and further extend the range of the assembly.
The Pixo aims to differentiate itself from the Twingo in several aesthetic details of its bodywork, opting for its own design, but with several elements shared with the Twingo, such as the system of longitudinally sliding seats in the second row, which allows for optimizing the trunk space or for the occupants of the two rear seats. The dashboard is presided over by a 10-inch touchscreen that manages the infotainment system and a 7-inch digital cluster that serves as the instrument panel.
The main novelty of this Pixo is its ability to receive voice commands in up to 16 different languages, among which, attention!, there is no Catalan, and which, thanks to AI reinforcement, can help in aspects such as navigation or the infotainment system, among others. Finally, the Face ID application must be added, which allows the vehicle to recognize the driver and have the preferred parameters, configurations, and settings for each driver.
The Pixo will be manufactured at the Renault plant in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, where it will share a production line with its twin brother, the Renault Twingo. The first units of the Nissan Pixo will be marketed in early 2027, at a price range yet to be confirmed, which will not be very different from the just under 20,000 euros that its twin brother currently costs.