Last March, the redesigned Nissan Micra DIG-S was debuted at the Geneva Motor Show. The model boasts of a supercharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine with 95 horsepower. Based on the carmaker’s statement, the new engine can duplicate the engine performance of bigger petrol engines while maintaining a fuel efficiency of a diesel unit. This claim was held by the 68.9 mpgUK and 95 g/km CO2 emission figures of the Visia model. For the Acenta and Tekna models, which are relatively heavier and more sophisticated, the figures are 65.7 mpg UK and 99 g/km.

The new Direct Injection Gasoline-Supercharged engine runs on the Miller Cycle. Here, the inlet valve remains open for a longer period of time. The Micra DIG-S models have this kind of direct injection mechanism along with a high compression ratio, uniquely shaped pistons, variable timing control that comes with eco mode, and an automatic stop-start system. The Micra DIGS-s car gives an immunity to congestion and road tax charges in the UK along with a high fuel efficiency rate.

The non-supercharged base model of the Micra is£1,000 lower compared to the DIG-S model. The Visia has an initial tag price of £11,150. The Tekna costs £13,650 while the Acenta costs £12,150. There’s an optional CVT auto transmission feature that adds £1,000 to the cars’ basic price.

Japanese carmaker Nissan reveals plans to bring to the U.S. shore two small cars priced under $10,000. These cars will derive its DNA from the Micra, a mini car sold in parts of Europe and Asia that is smaller than their current Versa.

At the moment Kia’s cheapest in the U.S. is a base version of the 2010 Versa. It has a sticker price kicking off at $9,990 and does well with a 1.6L engine coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission. The car also does not have electric windows and a standard radio.

The base price is just a very good headliner. A car below $10K.

In the U.S., a starting price point of $10K is next to impossible and Nissan might just get a slice of the market which is still trying to recover from an economic meltdown.

The competition for this Nissan subcompacts are definitely more expensive. BMW bred Mini Cooper sells for about $20,000. The two-seater Smart ForTwo was received well back in 2008 but not anymore last year even if it was priced at $11,990.

A big volume of production might allow Nissan to inject some much wanted amenities like air conditioning, stereo, and power windows. If they can do this they can breakaway from the subcompact notion that small is cheap but cheap is nasty. Let’s see what happens when the pair of subcompacts comes to the U.S. by 2012.