Nissan Pulsar name likely for a return

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By Alborz Fallah | October 28th, 2011

Nissan Australia’s Managing Director Dan Thompson is determined to get the naming of the Tiida replacement right, with the Pulsar badge looking more than likely for a come back.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Mr Thompson said the naming process for the Tiida replacement is in the final stages with the last rounds of testing and researching currently taking place.

The Pulsar name was used as reference to the Tiida replacement during the presentation but official confirmation is still a few weeks away, with the announcement expected prior to the Tokyo motorshow (late November).

The Nissan Tiida (which went on sale in 2006) holds just 1.5 percent marketshare in the small car segment so far this year, a far cry from the once popular Nissan Pulsar which first went on sale in 1980 and lasted up until 2005.

Nissan has high expectations for the Pulsar, with the model’s prelaunch set to start early next year. The Pulsar will come in both sedan and hatch bodystyles, with the hatch set to fill the small gap in the company’s portfolio that currently exists below the Dualis.

Mr Thompson also confirmed that the Nissan Juke is not destined for Australia in the foreseeable future, despite the model preparing for launch in New Zealand. He noted that New Zealand has different ambitions for the new Pulsar and that the Juke doesn’t quiet fit the Australian market.

Nissan Australia is expected to continue its massive growth next year with the introduction of a Dualis diesel, new Patrol and Pulsar.

Should Nissan Australia bring back the Pulsar badge?

Ant

It should bring back the Pulsar name, as it is well known and regarded.

Steve the “Keyboard Hero”

You could badge a Tiida “The Pu55y Machine” you still wont sell any, lol.
http://www.wmcapriceforum.com/index.php?/topic/42-special-feature-10-facts-of-automotive-safety/ Troutman

Agreed.

Toyota Australia took note of Nissan’s mistake and avoided the silly ‘Auris’ name in favour of keeping the legendary Corolla badge. Why throw away something with so much history and so many loyal followers?

I look forward to a Pulsar return.

David

Um, why did they not call the Tiida a Pulsar? Because it wasn’t a replacement for it, that’s why. Tiida was smaller than Pulsar – the Tiida sedan is the same size as light sedans like the Yaris and Barina.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/1493/2007-nissan-tiida-specifications/ Troutman

If you do a Google search for the term ‘Tiida Pulsar’ you will find several articles describing the Tiida as a Pulsar replacement. I’ve included a Caradvice one in the link of my user name.

I see where you are coming from all the same, even if I wouldn’t go as far as to describe the Tiida as a Yaris competitor. It seems to be sort of in between ‘light’ and ‘small medium’.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1715760895 Charles Dean

I feel that Nissan is lacking in the mid-size segment.. Even Kia, Hyundai, Suzuki have cars, Optima, i45 & Kizashi..

Nissan is an under performer in Australia

MrZ64

Yep, only the fastest growing car company last year in AUS and second fastest growing company this year in AUS… real under performer….

yos

Serious? Woah, would never have expected that.
Monk

Stats can distort the truth easily – current affairs shows and politicians rely on them for this precise reason – what is relevant in this analysis is the base from which they made such stellar gains – facts and figures?

Hung Low

Charles, I know the Maxima screams grandpa, but compare the 350Ti to the I45 on a drive and you will be very surprised on how refined it is in comparison to the Hyundai!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1715760895 Charles Dean

Yeah I know the Maxima is more luxury and refined.. The i45 is buzzy and swarthy in comparison..

ricky

too little too late, Nissan.

Jaw

The one in the first photo is the exact same as my one, 2005 Pulsar.. Looks quite good for an 05 car

Lar

relevance fail
Hung Low

Well Skoda is still using the front Grill from your Pulsar!

crouchy

They should bring back the GTI-R while they’re at it! What a little beast that was!

Hung Low

Yes, rally heritage, more power and performance than the current Golf R and had so much more potential from a car sold close to 20 years ago!
The VW Golfs of the 90′s were like Lada’s in comparison!

Mazes

Shouldn’t we have got the Juke instead of that stupid Cube ??
Demonaz

Not fair that NZ gets the Juke and we don’t. But then again, the kiwis are more progressive in every way imaginable and will probably like the quircky Juke.

Mazes, the Cube that you see are grey imports, it’s the previous generation model.

ryan bane

will be interesting if NZ takes to the Juke, given the only spec they will offer is a 1.6L NA with a CVT…

But the Juke styling really is impressive in the flesh.

Tommy

Bring back the Pulsar GTIR!
JEKYL & HYDE

i agree with most opinions here.

bring the name back

make the new model WORTHY OF THE BADGE.

make a SSS and a GTIR (and bugger the room and features,make them GO)

if holden can do it with the cruze,and capture 3k in sales each month,surely nissan could do it with a decent PULSAR branded car.

Henry F

Agreed! I remember how great the SSS N14 hatch was in the early 1990′s,

http://www.wmcapriceforum.com/ Troutman

Perhaps the best small car ever made in this country.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1715760895 Charles Dean

Australia should get the Altima, it would seriously rival the Camry..

anthony

But not quite as good as the Accord Euro and Mazda 6…

Golfschwein

At some point, every name is new: Echo, Yaris, Commodore, Golf, Getz, Cruze…see the point I’m making? If the car’s right, it’ll sell. If the car’s wrong – Epica, Tiida – ruing a name change will get you nowhere.
Golfschwein

On the subject, I drove an identical car to the white one pictured when I was in New Zealand last year.

It was a second hand Jap import called a Bluebird Sylphy and, despite being a low mileage car, had absolutely atrocious suspension – the worst of any car I’ve ever experienced. With four aboard at 100kmh, it would hit the bump stops, then pogo and squirm on the rebound. It only felt competent at low speed.

Be thankful for Australian market settings!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1715760895 Charles Dean

One can argue that the Australian settings are too harsh..

Samr

As an owner of an N15 SSS I say …

No SSS no Pulsar ………..

There has to be a sports model, a real one, to undo the damage caused by the Tiida being a girls car and having it advertised by a Sex in the city “star”.
Flabby Chap

Tiida: It’s car Renault thought Aussies wanted.
Eric V

Tiida or Pulsar, very few will be sold to people under 65 years of age.
Perhaps Nissan Pensioner would be more appropriate
save it for the track

Pulsar generally had a younger buyer base. Of course there were some older drivers not brainwashed into blind Toyota loyalty. I’m glad that they didn’t call the Tiida a Pulsar, the vehicle is not worthy of the Pulsar name.
.
Nissan literally threw out the baby with the bath water when they brought in the woeful ‘Tiida’.
.
Given the general ‘upsizing’ that has taken place over the years, a better ‘replacement’ in aus for the Pulsar would have been a Bluebird Sylphy badged as a Pulsar. Given that the second gen Bluebird Sylphy began in 2005, and had 1.5l petrol, 2.0l petrol with CVT and a diesel, along with class leading interior space and boot space, Nissan could have stolen a march on the class. prices would likely have risen over outgoing Pulsar, but given the Sylphy was built in Thailand surely prices could have been worked on. And if launched at reasonable prices the slightly larger than class average pulsar probably would have sold up a storm. The looks of it are definietly ‘baby maxima’ and may not have appealed so much to a young audience. But hindsight is always 20/20, and truly some of the Australian marketing departments (Nissan, Ford to name but two) seem asleep at the wheel when it comes to decisions on models and the subsequent marketing of them (Ford – Focus, Falcon [axe v8 again, deafening silence on new LPG tech, etc...]; Nissan – anything).

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1715760895 Charles Dean

I agree with you

Mary

bring back the pulsar. I would love to be able to buy a new pulsar 2012 model. Come on NISSAN.
Just

Also Bring back Leopard, Laurel, Gloria, Cedric

Samr

Bring back the Datsun 2000!

atul

I love my Nissan Pulsar ny16 2004 ,never trouble stil race like a horse on the roads of Sydney.
GIG

The problem is not about the TIIDA Name. It’s about how ugly the car is! THERE ARE cars with new name sells good…If NISSAN Australia bring in the New C12 TIIDA 1.6T Hatch(with MR16DDT DIG Turbo engine,140KW/188HP),even with more room…Good Bye COROLLA seca and CIVIC Hatch!!!I dunt really care about the NAME!!!

Juuke

You can’t blame Nissan, the awful Tida was a product of Renualt.. Which obviously failed

Fred

Nissan are better off scrapping the entire lineup and just concentrate on Godzilla and Z. There’s really no point doing other cars as its rivals will definitely be better anyway.

JEKYL & HYDE

nissan core sellers are navara,micra,xtrail,dualis.

tell me fred how would nissan survive on say 200 car sales a year? (and i’m guessing you in your early teens?)…

Al Juraj

I’d save the Murano and Micra for another day. They’re still decent cars that stike a presence. The Navara will likely be twins with the Triton soon. Rogue is much better looking than X-Trail and Dualis is alright but not great.

Nissan make stunning sports cars, but why can’t they make their other vehicles significant as well?

LN

“Mr Thompson also confirmed that the Nissan Juke is not destined for Australia in the foreseeable future, despite the model preparing for launch in New Zealand. He noted that New Zealand has different ambitions for the new Pulsar and that the Juke doesn’t quiet fit the Australian market.”

I acknowledge that the Pulsar is making a come back. They should have not released the Tiida to Australia and have the current Bluebird Sylphy model on sale in Australia as the Pulsar.

As for Thompson’s quote above, I am wondering if this is a smart decision to see how the sales of the Juke goes in NZ. I personally wouldnt mind having the Juke for sale here in AUstralia