Nissan Pulsar SSS sedan arriving 12 months late in April 2015

Back in October 2013, Nissan said it would launch the sporty Pulsar SSS sedan in Australia by the second quarter of this year.

But Nissan Australia corporate communications general manager Peter Fadeyev has revealed the Japanese company delayed the release of the SSS sedan to allow it to reduce existing stock of the luxury Ti sedan, which is being axed in favour of the performance-themed variant.

Fadeyev said the decision to replace the Pulsar Ti sedan with the SSS was based on Australian buyers’ preference for sporty models.

“There was a great preference for the SSS variant in the hatchback compared to the Ti variant in the sedan, so logically we’ve decided to apply the SSS model grade to the sedan range,” he said.

Fadeyev confirmed there were no other changes planned for the Pulsar sedan and hatch, meaning the line-up will include ST, ST-L, ST-S (hatch only) and SSS variants once the sporty sedan arrives.

The Nissan Pulsar SSS sedan will be powered by the same turbocharged 140kW/240Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that’s fitted to the hatch (above). The same engine is also available in the Juke compact crossover.

It’s expected to be equipped the same as the SSS hatch, and will feature similar sporty exterior enhancements.

The Pulsar SSS sedan will be priced from about $30,000 before on-road costs, likely wearing a price tag slightly higher than the SSS hatchback that costs $29,790 with the six-speed manual transmission and $32,390 with the automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The outgoing Pulsar Ti sedan CVT is priced at $29,990.