Nissan Pulsar to return to Australia in late 2012

Nissan’s cool hatchback that was killed off six years ago will return to Australia in an attempt to undo the damage done by the Tiida.

It was one of the more confusing moves by Nissan – killing off the famous Pulsar name on its small hatchback. Toyota was tempted to do the same with the Corolla but thought better of it. Good move, as Corolla sales continued to perform strongly. Sales of the new Pulsar, called the Tiida, did a bigger belly flop than a fat guy on a hot day.

To be fair, it didn’t help that the car was rubbish as well. Soft dynamics, a lacklustre engine, styling not even a mother could love and an interior with more plastic than a bad porn star all contributed to sales of the Tiida dropping to around 300 per month.

But Nissan Australia’s Jeff Fisher has confirmed to Drive in the SMH that the Pulsar name will return with the new small hatchback and sedan at the end of 2012. The hatchback version of the car is already on sale in China, but Australia will wait until the arrival of the sedan as well to get its hands on the new Pulsar. Other markets will retain the name Tiida.

With styling that doesn’t look like a car that’s been hit by a severe cyclone, we’re hoping it marks the return of Nissan to the fold of serious small car options.

Via SMH/Drive