Pulsar name resonates

Nissan Australia was never in favour of the Tiida name for the car that succeeded its Pulsar small car. It was an outcome forced upon the local arm by its parent, subscribing to a global one-name policy at the time. The unusual name bears most of the blame for the car's poor showing in the local market, according to Nissan.

VFACTS figures for the Tiida, and its Pulsar predecessor, show a steady decline during the years since the Pulsar was phased out of the Australian line-up.

Since 2004, when sales of the N16 Pulsar approached 20,000 units, Nissan's small-car sales have rapidly declined to the point where the Tiida is lucky in an average year to secure one third of the sales the Pulsar was achieving at its peak. The year-to-date figure as at September 2010 is less than 4400 units, despite a recent upgrade and model range rationalisation. In the three months remaining, the Tiida might reach the figure of 7134, set last year -- and in what has been a very strong year for the market. It's a very revealing decline from the sales success the Pulsar enjoyed.

Tiida got off to a poor start in Australia when it was released in February 2006 -- and it wasn't all about the name. There was the first advertising campaign for one thing. Then there was the confronting style... and the Tiida drew criticism for its on-road manners and build quality in those early days. But fundamental to the Tiida's problems was the name selected by Nissan in Japan as part of a 'global one-name' policy.

Nissan Australia MD, Dan Thompson, was quick to tell the Carsales Network earlier this week that the one-name policy has been comprehensively kicked to the kerb. It's left to Nissan Australia now, to decide what the Tiida's replacement will be named.

"The decision will lie with us, when the time comes," Thompson said. "A decision has been made to allow the re-introduction of the name 'Pulsar', if we so elect to [do so], once the Tiida replacement comes..."

But 'Pulsar' is not a certainty. In the intervening years the Tiida has been on sale, consumers may have forgotten the Pulsar name. Thompson has seen the arguments for and against reintroducing the Pulsar name during his two years heading up the local operation. It sounds like the debate gets heated at times.

"It's been an on-going discussion for a couple of years -- ever since I've been here -- demonstrating the equity the Pulsar has in the Australian market. They realise that and they've given us the ability to reintroduce the name if we so desire.

"Now fast-forward from then -- that was two years ago -- will we still have the right equity to match the vehicle that we launch? That will be the study that we do when the time comes."

In other words, will Pulsar resonate with a new generation of buyers in the market for a small car from Nissan two years from now? By then, the Pulsar name will have been retired for six years, which is a long time in automotive marketing. Nissan Australia isn't restricted to replacing 'Tiida' with 'Pulsar' though.

"There will be a couple of names globally, for the Tiida replacement," Thompson admitted, when the Carsales Network asked whether Nissan Australia would consider a name such as 'Versa', which the Tiida wears in North America.

Thompson insinuated that it was Nissan's American executives taking such an especial dislike to the Tiida name -- and opting for 'Versa' against the wishes of the parent company -- that was most likely the tipping point for the high-level decision to move away from the global one-name strategy.

"I don't know if there was any one particular tipping point. Post our launch -- when we launched with 'Tiida' -- [Nissan] moved away from the global one-name [policy] when the Americans launched with Tiida -- and called it 'Versa'.

"So you can probably thank the Americans for breaking the one-name policy with Tiida..."

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