Nissan, please listen to us: If you build it he will come.

Although the Micra supermini model was available in Japan in spicy Nismo, it didn’t have the same performance as the regular model, with the stiffer suspension, body kits, and sportier exhaust note. Although it did add 39 horsepower (29 Kilowatts) to the engine and 38 pound-feet (52 Newton-meters), that is still not hot hatch material. The fifth generation of the Micra is speculatively shown here in the Nismo trim.

The new Micra Nissan looks more mature in this latest iteration. We believe it is more suitable for a true Nismo edition with both mechanical and visual upgrades. There’s a Juke RS, so why not a Micra Nismo?

A Micra Nismo headed to Europe will most likely get the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine of the Renault Clio RS. It produces 220 hp (164 kW) and 260 Nm (192 lb-ft). The Micra Nismo should bring a smile to your face, and you won’t have to break the bank. It would face stiff competition from its Clio RS counterpart, as well as the all-new Fiesta ST, due to arrive early 2018, and the Polo GTI, which is likely to arrive later in the year.

The Micra should be included in that list, as Nismo announced last February plans to add more Nismo models. To please the purists, it will not be a Japan-only model. It will instead be offered with a manual transmission (unlike its auto-only Clio RS). Fingers crossed.

Until then, the regular Micra will be available in Europe starting March 2017, once production of Renault’s B-segment hatch begins at Renault’s Flins, France plant.