The Nissan Sylphy is a compact car built since 2000 as the successor to the Nissan Pulsar. It has also been marketed in export markets as the Pulsar, Almera, Sunny and Sentra. Until 2012 it was the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy in Japan, continuing the name of the larger Bluebird, which was phased out in 2001.
Nissan Sylphy at a glance
| Production | since August 2000 |
|---|---|
| First generation | G10 in Japan, N16 elsewhere |
| Replaced | Nissan Pulsar N15 in Japan |
| Japanese dealers | Nissan Blue Stage |
| Body | single four-door sedan |
| Export names | Almera, Pulsar, Sentra, Sunny |
| European hatchbacks | three- and five-door Almera builds in the UK |
| Facelift | February 2003, new grille and Teana-style tail lights |
| Second generation | G11, previewed October 2005 |
| Merged with Sentra | B17 generation from 2012 |
based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Nissan Sylphy.
History of the Nissan Sylphy
Bluebird Sylphy G10 (2000)
Nissan launched the G10, or N16 series, Bluebird Sylphy in August 2000 as the replacement in Japan for the Pulsar N15, sold only at Nissan Blue Stage dealers. The Japanese code G10 differed from the N16 used in most other markets, which kept the Pulsar-era naming. The change of name in Japan happened as Nissan was about to phase out the long-running Bluebird, keeping the old name alive. Export markets took the same car under many names: Almera in Europe and Brunei, Pulsar in Australasia, Sentra in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan, and Sunny in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Middle East. It was not sold in North America, where the Sunny-based Sentra B15 took its place.
Body and exports
The Bluebird Sylphy came only as a well-equipped small four-door saloon. The British factory that built the N16 as the Almera continued to make three- and five-door hatchbacks, with slightly different front styling, a unique grille, bonnet and bumper to suit the shared headlamps, and some European markets also received an Almera saloon. British-built Almeras were exported outside Europe, mainly to Australia with Pulsar badges. The platform also produced the Almera Tino compact MPV for the first time, while the Wingroad continued as the Pulsar wagon or Almera Traveller.
Facelift and later generations
The original car had a vertical chrome grille with the Nissan emblem on the bonnet; in February 2003 it gained a revised grille with the emblem moved onto it and a new rear end with Teana J31-style tail lights, an update shared with the Sunny and Sentra in South-East Asia. The second-generation G11 was previewed at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2005, and the Tiida hatchback and Tiida Latio saloon also replaced the G10 and N16 in some markets. The G10 and N16 were still facelifted in October 2005 as a budget model below the G11 and Tiida in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. From the third-generation B17 of 2012 the Sylphy was merged with the B17 Sentra.
Design and features
- Pulsar successor: the car that replaced the Pulsar N15.
- Many badges: sold as the Almera, Pulsar, Sentra and Sunny.
- Bluebird name: kept the Bluebird name alive until 2012.
- Sentra merger: the B17 Sylphy and Sentra are the same car.
Nissan Sylphy versions
- Bluebird Sylphy G10 / N16 (2000–): the first generation.
- Almera N16 hatchbacks: the British-built European versions.
- Bluebird Sylphy G11 (2005–): the second generation.
- Sylphy B17 (2012–): merged with the Sentra.
The Sylphy replaced the Pulsar, was sold in Europe as the Almera and in America as the Sentra. More cars are in the Nissan collection.
Video: 2014 Nissan Sylphy 1.8 Malaysia Walk-Around
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- Nissan Sylphy, English Wikipedia: G10 launch, names, body, facelift, later generations
