The new Nissan Almera will officially launch soon, having been previewed in early September. Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) is going a different (and more interesting) path this time around, equipping its B-segment sedan with the 1.0 litre turbo engine seen in Thailand. This is is contrast to rivals from Toyota (NA only) and Honda (Hybrid available, but NA will be mass seller).
The HR10DET turbocharged three-cylinder engine makes 100 PS at 5,000 rpm and 152 Nm of torque from 2,400 to 4,000 rpm. The boosted mill is paired with an Xtronic CVT with D-Step Logic and Sport mode, with power sent to the front wheels.
Even if it’s ultimately for eco purposes, the “Turbo” on the name and under the hood will give the Almera a performance boost in perception, and owners might be tempted to opt for the bodykits and sporty accessories that will surely be offered down the line. Looking at trend, ETCM has been providing bodykit options from Nismo and Impul, although those big names have yet to debut kits for the N18.
So, forgive us for getting ahead of ourselves here as we picture a Nismo aerokit for the new Almera. Here, Theophilus Chin went for a sporty but still very clean look for the Almera Nismo. If the front end looks familiar but different, that’s because Theo has given the N18 a new bumper.
The black portion cupping the bowl-shaped V-Motion grille appears much smaller as it’s no longer joined to the lower intake, which is now a slim letterbox fused with a full width red lip. The Nismo signature lip is smooth while the stock bumper’s edge is segmented. Theo added LED fog lamps with sharp cut housings, the above-mentioned black bezel for the grille has a matte finish instead of gloss, and there’s a Nismo badge on the grille.
The face reminds me of the Leaf Nismo RC. Side skirts continue the red lip line and our artist also added a black roof and 17-inch gloss black five-spoke rims with red accents for some drama.
The new Almera is rather sporty-looking out of the box, and even the base VL body-coloured full-width rear diffuser. So we had to improvise by adding on a twin-diffuser with a rear fog lamp in the middle. The entire lower bumper is in black and the area has been enlarged for drama. Of course, the red pinstripe continues. A Nismo badge replaced the Turbo one. Missing here is a boot spoiler, which ETCM has included as part of its optional accessories catalogue.
What do you think of this proposed Almera Nismo? It’s not the most dramatic bodykit around, certainly not as bombastic as some kits coming out from Thailand, but it follows the cleaner look preferred by Nissan’s motorsport division.
Estimated pricing for the Almera VL is RM8x,xxx, and the VLP is also in the RM80+k bracket. The top Almera VLT with all-LED front lighting, 360-degree camera and blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (AEB standard across the board) is expected to be in the RM90+k zone. Final pricing will be announced very soon. Full details and specs here.
Now that the new Honda City is here, what do you think of these two new B-segment sedans?
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