Take Your Pix-o

MAPLE CROSS, UNITED KINGDOM - Small car sales are on the up and Nissan's newly-announced Pixo is perfectly placed to exceed the expectations of buyers in the ever-increasing A-segment.

Slotting into the marque's supermini line-up below the familiar Micra and Note, Pixo arrives at dealerships on 1st June with a price tag from just £5,995 on the road.

Capitalising on the continuing trend towards downsizing, Pixo provides budget motoring at its most affordable but backed up with the quality and reliability that's synonymous with the Nissan brand. Expected rivals include the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto and Toyota Aygo yet this trio can't match Pixo's credit crunch-busting sub-£6k price point.

Adding to Nissan's increasing and diverse small car family, Pixo is powered by an ultra-frugal three-cylinder 1.0-litre powertrain. Developing 68PS, this efficient new engine delivers impressive combined economy of up to 64.2mpg matched with minimal 103g/km CO2. These figures, which put Pixo in the £35 per year road tax band, ensure it's cheap to run as well as affordable to buy.

Despite its diminutive dimensions, the five-door Pixo strikes the perfect balance between compact design and practicality. There's interior space for four adults and their luggage and with the rear seats in place load space is 129 litres (VDA).

To maximise customer choice, Pixo will span across three familiar Nissan trim grades – Visia, Acenta and Tekna.

While Visia's headline story is its £5,995 price tag, the entry-level model comes complete with all the essentials demanded by today's discerning small car buyers. With safety very much top of the agenda, ABS with EBD and twin front airbags are included along with power steering, CD player with MP3 playback, front cup holders and rear wash/wipe.

Step up a grade and a modest £750 premium buys the £6,745 Acenta, which is expected to be the best seller. Also available with a four-speed automatic transmission for an additional £910, Acenta highlights include side airbags, remote central locking, electric front windows, front fog lamps, colour-coded mirrors plus door handles and the convenience of a 50/50 split folding rear seat.

Topping the trim choice trio is Tekna. Costing £7,645, or £8,555 with the automatic option, this is the perfect choice for drivers wishing to downsize without sacrificing anything from the equipment tally. Air conditioning with pollen filter, ESP and curtain airbags are added to the Tekna's already comprehensive spec sheet.

Pixo's launch coincides with the appearance of Nissan's Pure Drive badge. This will be rolled out across other vehicles in the future and highlights the firm's lowest CO2 models.

As Nissan's first A-segment vehicle, Pixo's arrival this summer will introduce Nissan to a new group of customers. The company expects to sell 7,000 Pixos in a full year and, along with Micra and Note plus Cube from late 2009, it will give Nissan a comprehensive, clean and green small car line-up to suit all pockets and all customer needs.