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Nissan reviving Pulsar name for Euro market

The Nissan Pulsar doesn't have what we'd consider a rich history in the US, other than on some models decades ago. However, the nameplate has been part of the Nissan lineup globally since 1978 and has proven popular in Asia and Australia. Now, the brand is teasing a five-door hatch to revive the name and hit European showrooms this fall.
The new Pulsar will be built at the company's recently renovated factory in Barcelona, Spain. It's not clear from the teaser whether this is the same model that is already sold in other parts of the world or a brand new vehicle. Although, Nissan says in the announcement that the car "has been designed to meet the specific demands of European car buyers."
With competitors like the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus, the European five-door hatch market is seriously competitive. It will be interesting to see if Nissan will have something special to bring to the table. Scroll down to read Nissan's full teaser about its latest hatchback in Europe.

Carlos Ghosn freed from jail after four months

TOKYO — Wearing a mask, cap and what looked like a construction worker's outfit, the former chairman of Nissan Motor Co., Carlos Ghosn, left a Tokyo detention center Wednesday after posting 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) bail. Although his face was obscured as he left the facility, Ghosn's identity was apparent as he smiled after arriving at a building in downtown Tokyo, having removed his jacket, mask and hat. There was a scramble by media to follow Ghosn after he boarded a small Suzuki van, topped with a ladder, and traveled from the Tokyo Detention Center toward downtown. Motorcycles trailed the van in formation as it passed through city streets to one of the defense lawyer's offices. Ghosn later left in another car, which was mobbed by media. Ghosn, the former head of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors alliance was arrested on Nov. 19. He is charged with falsifying financial reports and with breach of trust. The Tokyo District Court confirmed the 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) bail was posted earlier in the day, after a judge rejected an appeal from prosecutors requesting his continued detention. That cleared the way for Ghosn to leave the facility after spending nearly four months since his arrest. Before his release, Ghosn, who turns 65 on Saturday, issued a statement reasserting his innocence. "I am innocent and totally committed to vigorously defending myself in a fair trial against these meritless and unsubstantiated accusations," he said. A date for his trial has not yet been set. Suspects in Japan often are detained for months, especially those who insist on their innocence, like Ghosn. Some legal experts, including Junichiro Hironaka, one of his lawyers, have criticized the system as "hostage justice," saying the long detentions tend to encourage false confessions. Ghosn's lawyer in France, Jean-Yves Le Borgne, said the lawyers in Japan will be leading the defense but he was in touch with them. "He is catching his breath and settling in," Le Borgne said of Ghosn. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said a presumption of innocence for Ghosn was crucial, while noting the importance to France of the alliance between Nissan and French automaker Renault SA. "It is a good thing that Carlos Ghosn can defend himself freely and serenely, and his release will permit Carlos Ghosn to defend himself freely and serenely," he said. The French government owns about 15 percent of Renault SA, making it an influential voice in the future of the alliance.

Nissan GT-R LM hobbled by 'very minor' issue during Sebring test

We're always going to have a soft spot for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. It marks the start of the endurance racing season, after all. But it's the endurance racing circus' three-hour drive south for the annual to-do at Sebring International Raceway that really sets our hearts aflutter. That's because Sebring is generally used by the biggest teams as a tune-up for June's 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Floridian race might only be half as long, but the sheer brutality of the racing surface makes it a great test of a racer's durability, hence why it's a popular stop on the way to France. As it turns out, it was the track's roughness that was the reason Nissan decided to piggyback on one of Audi's tests at the south Florida circuit, Autosport reports. But an issue "to do with the engine mounting" on the front-engined GT-R LM racer sidelined the team. "It was actually a very minor thing, but we just don't have a spare here," Technical Director Ben Bowlby told Autosport. "We've spent a lot of time at Austin, which is very smooth, so we wanted to come to a particularly harsh environment like Sebring." While it seems rather silly to test somewhere in an attempt to "accelerate the durability cycle" without packing a full complement of spares, the rough surface of Sebring has a tendency to wreak havoc with even the most reliable of parts. Nissan did manage to run a total of 68 laps over the course of two days, with drivers Marc Gene and Olivier Pla at the wheel. At present, Nissan won't be running the GT-R LM in the actual 12 Hours of Sebring – it's first race outing will instead be at the 6 Hours of Silverstone, running next month. Related Video: