Nissan has announced plans to stop producing the Tsuru in Mexico, phasing out the decades-old platform with more than 2.4 million sales to date.
Residents in the Southwestern US may have encountered a few seemingly pristine examples of Nissan’s B13-generation Sentra on the road. The B13 generation started production more than 25 years ago. It was succeeded by the B14 Sentra in the US in 1995, but kept alive as the Tsuru in Mexico to this day.
“In the Mexican automotive industry, Tsuru is one of the top sales leaders,” said Nissan Mexicana president Mayra Gonzalez. “The majority of Mexicans have some history that binds us to the Nissan Tsuru. The sedan, which has a huge following, has provided families in Mexico high-quality, reliable and durable transportation since 1984.”
Nissan until now has had little incentive to retire the B13-based Tsuru. The car had remained compliant with Mexico’s lax safety regulations for decades, helping reduce production costs. The current retail price is equivalent to approximately $7,600 USD.
Mexico is finally tightening its automotive safety standards, forcing Nissan to retire the Tsuru or add airbags and other modern provisions.
The end of production will be celebrated by a special commemorative edition, limited to just 1,000 units.
