Why Is Nissan Pulsar Discontinued?

Sep 12, 2018, 6:06 a.m. ET

Nissan has decided to remove the Pulsar from the European market, so let’s pour one out for the model. In fact, as a result of “a rapidly expanding move by European customers from traditional vehicle segments to crossovers,” manufacture of the five-door hatchback in Euro spec discreetly halted in June. The Pulsar, which debuted in 2014, failed to meet Nissan’s goals in terms of sales, to put it briefly.

According to sales data released by market analysts JATO Dynamics, the Japanese manufacturer was only able to move 25,221 cars last year, falling short of the initial goal of 64,000 units each year. The Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Renault Megane, Honda Civic, and Skoda Octavia are some of the well-known models in this class that the Barcelona-built Pulsar was unable to compete with. The Tiida is the local name for the Pulsar in China, where it will continue to be offered.

Nissan Pulls the Pulsar Hatchback From the European Lineup

The Nissan Pulsar, which debuted in 2014 and is built on the Common Module Family vehicle design, is average in all respects. Sales of the tiny hatchback declined despite being an honest vehicle for its class since the total package lacked any form of spice.

The Pulsar’s sales fell to 25,183 units in 2017 from a peak of 43,267 in 2015. The decision to phase out the underperforming model was made because the beancounters did not find the sale of so few vehicles in Europe in a single year to be amusing.

That’s unfortunate for the automobile industry as well as the employees of Nissan Motor Iberica in Barcelona, Spain. At the Guangzhou facility in China, the Pulsar is also produced. The tiny hatchback bearing the Tiida nameplate was made in Izhevsk, Russia, until December 2015.

The Leaf is still the only other compact car offered by Nissan in Europe save the Qashqai crossover, which is their best-selling model. The Qashqai and Leaf are, in fact, both more expensive than the Pulsar in terms of pricing.

The Almera’s replacement didn’t fare well, but the estimated sales figure is the most depressing aspect of this tale. Nissan predicted that the Pulsar would sell 64,000 units annually if all goes as planned before it even arrived at showrooms across the European Union. However, it didn’t.

Absolute sales figures show that the Qashqai is the Old Continent’s top-selling Nissan, placing fifth in 2017 with 230,860 sales. The Ford Fiesta (237,770), Volkswagen Polo (255,370), Renault Clio (298,990), and Volkswagen Golf are at the top of the list (445,206).

Although the Pulsar is still offered in a number of markets, the configurator is inoperable for obvious reasons. The VISIA trim level, which has a 1.2-liter DIG-T four-cylinder turbo engine with 115 horsepower, has a starting price of EUR18,490 in Germany. For a brief period, the Clio RS’s 1.6-liter engine, which was downtuned to 190 horsepower and 240 Nm for the Pulsar, was offered.

Nissan Pulsar will no longer be sold in the UK

Nissan has stopped selling the Pulsar family hatchback in the UK as the vehicle’s manufacture at its Barcelona facility comes to an end.

The Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra challenger is no longer available for ordering or customizing on the Nissan website, while dealer stock may still be present in some showrooms.

Similar to the recently facelifted second-generation Nissan Qashqai, the Pulsar has only been available for purchase since 2014. The modern Nissan Juke, which first went on sale in 2010, has likewise outlasted the Pulsar.

Nissan discontinued the Pulsar for what reason?

Barely three years after its launch, Nissan will stop making the Pulsar family hatchback because sales did not match expectations.

Nissan reportedly intended to produce 80,000 Pulsars annually, but even in the model’s first full year, manufacturing struggled to reach less than 35,000 vehicles. With only 20,000 Pulsars predicted to be produced in the most recent fiscal year, things are predicted to get even worse.

Nissan is therefore giving up and discontinuing the family hatch. The company will produce the revised all-electric e-NV200 Evalia, a seven-seat MPV variant of the NV200 van, in its place at the Barcelona factory. Nissan is now introducing the vehicle in Tenerife alongside the new Leaf, calling it “a hidden gem.”

Nissan Europe President Paul Willcox stated, “The decisions we have made are the result of a change in the market demand of our European consumers and a new trend. For this reason, Nissan’s aim is to expand our leadership in the electric and crossover car class.

Is the 2015 Nissan Pulsar dependable?

Reliability of a used Nissan Pulsar hatchback Awfully, no. In our most recent dependability survey, the Pulsar came in lowest place for the family car class. Numerous non-engine electrics that owners complained about, as well as numerous problems with the air conditioning system

Nissan Pulsar dependability

dependability of the Nissan Pulsar Few people were as taken with the Pulsar’s ride and handling, and even less pleasing were reports of questionable reliability: 20.7% of owners claim to have had one or more issues in the first year of ownership.

What is the lifespan of a Nissan Pulsar?

Depending on its condition and mileage, your car is still likely worth between $4000 and $5000. The drawback is that you won’t be given that much if you use the car as a trade-in, and the price I’ve given is for a private sale rather than a return to the dealer. Even though the value of your automobile is still respectable, you’ll pay a little bit more for whatever you replace it with because there isn’t as much of a demand for nice used cars as there may be.

In terms of longevity, maintenance has a much greater impact than any other component. There is a good probability that your car could last for 200,000 to 250,000km, and possibly even longer, if it has been serviced according to the book. I’ve also seen abandoned cars pass away at a very young age, though.

Nissan Pulsar has a CVT.

Similar positives and negatives exist between the 1.8-liter engine and Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) of the Pulsar car. Although the engine is unremarkable, it does provide strong pulling power at low revs, which keeps the CVT under control.

The Nissan Pulsar will it return to Australia?

Nissan Australia’s Karla Leach, director of corporate communications, states that there are “no present intentions to see the Pulsar return to Australia.” In 2017, the business decided to concentrate its efforts on crossovers and dropped the Pulsar, a model based on the departing Sylphy/Sentra, from the local lineup.

How big is the Nissan Pulsar?

All models have a height of 1520 mm from the ground to the top of the car. It has a 1760 mm width. Depending on the model, the length ranges from 4295 to 4610 millimeters.

What is the Nissan Pulsar’s cylinder count?

A 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with 96 kilowatts and 174 Newton meters of torque powers the vehicle. The front wheels are what provide the power, and this specific model’s owners also get a CVT transmission. The Pulsar four door gives off the appearance of a mini-Maxima and has a big cabin and boot.

What type of vehicle is the Pulsar?

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The practical Nissan Pulsar is a spacious hatchback that is great for families, but it lacks in terms of performance and elegance.

Its advantages include a roomy cabin that can embarrass larger vehicles in the class above, respectable levels of standard equipment, and a full complement of safety features that results in an exceptional five-star safety certification. The smaller engines are efficient but only provide acceptable performance.

The Pulsar lacks much “sizzle” in any aspect of the driving experience, but if you merely need reliable, polished, and comfortable transportation from point A to point B, the Pulsar is a practical but uninspired option.

The Nissan Qashqai crossover shares the same basis as the mid-size family hatchback known as the Nissan Pulsar. Nissan replaced the boring Almera with that model in 2006, and it was an immediate success.

Nissan announced the Qashqai’s introduction as the company’s final hatchback model. Despite the fact that the Qashqai was popular, Nissan opted to revive a hatchback in 2015 using the same platform, engines, and technologies. The Pulsar was never a popular vehicle in the UK, and the hatchback was once more taken from the market in 2018.

Timing belts are present in Nissan Pulsars?

Your Nissan Pulsar’s timing belt needs to be replaced at the suggested intervals to keep it in good running condition.

Failure to do so may result in engine damage when the timing belt fails, which typically necessitates costly towing fees and significant repairs.

Although the expense of replacing the timing belt on your Nissan Pulsar can come as a bit of a shock, replacing the engine is much more expensive.

If other engine parts need to be removed in order to access the timing belt, the cost of a replacement timing belt might rise to over $1500 on average.