Nissan Pulsar :: Euro-spec model not for Australia

Teased over the weekend ahead of tomorrow’s official unveiling, Nissan’s new ‘C-segment’ five-door hatchback will go on sale in Europe in the third quarter of the year, but isn’t headed for local showrooms.

“Nissan Australia does not currently plan to release the recently announced European-market Nissan Pulsar,” the company said in a statement.

“Nissan Australia will continue selling the current Australian-market Pulsar in both hatch and sedan format for the local small car market.”

The confirmation comes a month after Nissan global chief planning officer Andy Palmer left the door open for the Euro-spec Pulsar to head Down Under, when he suggested at some point the company's global small hatch portfolio would need to converge.

Nissan says the new Pulsar has been “designed to meet the specific demands of European car buyers”. It will be built at Nissan’s plant in Barcelona, Spain, and will look to directly target the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, and other popular small hatches in Europe.

While the Pulsar name has a far richer history in Australia – it was introduced as a Datsun in 1980 after production started in Japan in 1978 – the badge also appeared in certain European markets in the early 1990s on the fourth-generation ‘N14’ model.

The Australian-spec Nissan Pulsar hatch is priced from $19,290, with the sedan starting at $19,990.