Nissan tackles slow Tiida sales with Series 3

NISSAN has launched a Series 3 upgrade for its struggling Tiida small sedan and hatch in Australia, slashing prices by at least $1000 across the range and adding side curtain airbags as standard to entry ST variants.

As a result, the Tiida range now starts from $17,990 (plus statutory and dealer delivery charges) for both the six-speed manual sedan and hatch, which is $1000 less than before.

Four-speed automatic transmission for the ST adds $2250.

At the other end of the scale, the Japanese brand has added leather upholstery, climate-control air-conditioning and 16-inch alloy wheels (with 195/55R16 tyres) as standard to its range-topping Tiida Ti variants, plus a sunroof for the Ti hatch.

Ti pricing tumbles $3000 for the automatic sedan, now starting at $23,240, while the manual and automatic Ti hatch variants – which replace the previous Q trim level – start $2000 cheaper at $21,990 and $24,990 respectively.

Exterior modifications include larger front and rear bumpers, reworked grille, a new tail-light design for the hatch and, on Ti variants, body-coloured side sills. The ST also picks up a new 15-inch wheel cover design.



Inside, all Tiida model variants now have a metallic-look finish across the dashboard and a revised instrument cluster. The latter includes a revised fuel economy readout.

As well the extra airbags, all ST models pick up cruise control, electric windows, steering-mounted stereo controls, and MP3 capability/player input on the single-disc CD stereo.

Ti versions also now include a leather-clad steering wheel and a six-stack CD with MP3 capability/player input.

No major mechanical changes have been made, although the 93kW/174Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine used across the range is now compliant with the Euro 4 emissions standard.

Nissan has struggled to achieve high sales volumes with the Tiida, and is currently 39.6 per cent down after the first two months of trading, with fewer than 1000 units sold.

Last year, Tiida sales were down 29.1 per cent, with 7134 new registrations, while market leader Toyota managed 39,013 sales.

Mazda sold 35,298 Mazda3s, while Mitsubishi (with Lancer) and Hyundai (with i30) both recorded more than 20,000 sales in the segment.

“Despite the increase in standard equipment, pricing is at least $1000 less than the previous model, further enhancing the outstanding value proposition with Japanese design and engineering in this very competitive market,” said Nissan Australia CEO Dan Thompson.

2010 Nissan Tiida range pricing:
Hatch:
ST	$17,990
ST (a)	$20,240
Ti	$21,990
Ti (a)	$24,240
Sedan:
ST	$17,990
ST (a)	$20,240
Ti (a)	$23,240