Nissan Almera

This model of Nissan car was produced for just over a decade; from 1995 until 2006. It was one in a number of family-sized cars that were manufactured during this time and many believe that it was simply a European export version of the Pulsar. Still, the Nissan Almera enjoyed a fairly successful customer following due to its similarity to its predecessor combined with a more fuel-efficient engine. The title "Almera" is the surname of a famous French racing family that was popular during the 1980s.

Embracing what was then still considered to be the rather novel approach of including computerisation into many of its models, the Almera possessed numerous amenities including driver airbags, power windows, power mirrors and CD-equipped stereo players as standard options.

While this first generation was popular within Japan, the United Kingdom and North America, Nissan took a different approach when it gave the second generation of its Almera line a slight facelift. Although most of the internal functions remained the same, models produced after 2000 boasted smoother exterior lines and an overall streamlined appearance. This was combined with engines that offered slightly better petrol mileage than previous designs. Still, the later generations were criticised for not having as much interior room as the models offered in the first generation.

Although the Almera has been discontinued since 2006, several variants make use of both its name and its physical features. These include the Samsung SM3, the Nissan Sunny and the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy (mainly manufactured and sold to the Russian marketplace).