Nissan locks in Almera for August

NISSAN Australia has announced it will launch the Almera light-size sedan in August, around two months later than expected.

The Micra-based sedan, which had been set to arrive by mid-year, will be the first of three new sedan models launched by Nissan Australia over the next eighteen months, followed by the re-born Pulsar small car and mid-size Altima.

Local specification and pricing for Almera will not be confirmed until launch, but Nissan Australia claims the entry-level light car will be sharply-priced and offer “exceptional” interior space.

Expect the range to be powered by the same 75kW/136Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine as used in the Micra ST-L and Ti, with pricing starting well below $20,000. The Almera measures 4495mm long, 1695mm wide and 1445mm high, and rides on a 2535mm wheelbase. The Micra, by comparison, is 3780mm long, 1665mm wide, 1525mm high and has a 2435mm wheelbase.

Recently appointed Nissan Australia CEO Bill Peffer said the Almera will form a key plank alongside the Pulsar and Altima in helping the company achieve its goal of becoming the number one full-line importer in Australia by March 31, 2013.

The Altima mid-sizer will make its Australian debut on the race track months in advance of the showroom car, with Melbourne-based Kelly Racing cladding a generic V8 Supercar of the Future race platform with Altima panels and equipping it with a race-modified Nissan V8 engine.

Left: Nissan's Around View Monitor parking assist system.

Meanwhile, Nissan Australia has also announced the addition of an Around View Monitor parking assist system to selected flagship Dualis Ti-L and X-Trail Ti and TL variants.

The system, which is usually fitted to much more expensive vehicles, uses four separate cameras that project a bird’s-eye view of the car onto the central display.

While pricing on the X-Trail Ti and TL is unchanged, the new Dualis Ti-L variant commands an extra $1850 over the previous Ti flagship.

Before it adds the Almera light car, Nissan will next month release the Leaf EV, which will be priced from $51,500.

Nissan will also launch a more luxurious new-generation Patrol early next year, which it will sell concurrently with the current diesel-only model.