The Nissan Pulsar SSS sedan will strengthen rather than dilute the traditional sports hatch badge, insists the company’s local boss.
Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Peter Jones insists the higher-performance version of the Pulsar sedan – due in showrooms in the second quarter of 2014 – deserves to wear the SSS badge, and says there is demand for the new model.
“The Pulsar SSS is almost a legend in itself,” Jones said.
“There are some people that want the engine but they want a sedan rather than a hatch. I think there’s demand for it.
“We showed the dealers the SSS sedan last week and they were pretty happy with the way it looked. It’s a cool-looking car.”
Nissan last week confirmed the 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, and is now also available in the Juke compact crossover.
Nissan Australia corporate communications supervisor Chris Jordan said the SSS badge remained sacred within the line-up and would not be diluted by products that did not reach the heights of the cars of the past.
“We’ve still kept it pretty special to Pulsar,” Jordan said. “You’ll notice the SSS badge doesn’t appear on Juke, it’s just for Pulsar.
“That engine’s been really popular, people are really keen on the DiG turbo, so if you’ve got a strength like that it’s going to be good to add to the sedan as well.”
Jordan confirmed the SSS would replace the Ti as the flagship four-door, harmonising the hatch and sedan line-up, which will become ST, ST-L, ST-S (hatch only) and SSS.
As with other variants in the range, the SSS sedan is set to be price slightly higher than the SSS hatch, which costs $29,690 with a six-speed manual and $32,290 with an automatic continuously variable transmission.
The SSS has accounted for 11 per cent of Pulsar hatch sales since launching in June, while turbo sales (ST-S and SSS combined) have totalled 17.5 per cent.
The Nissan Pulsar SSS sedan will be revealed closer to its local launch in Q2 next year. It will not be the first time the SSS name has appeared on a Nissan sedan, with the badge previously adorning performance versions of the Bluebird.
