Nissan brings out the sports stars to celebrate the new Pulsar coming off the line.

Nissan Ambassador and FC Barcelona star visits the Nissan factory to collect the first Barcelona-built Nissan Pulsar

Nissan today celebrates the first customer delivery of the all-new Nissan Pulsar, ahead of its full roll-out this autumn. To mark the occasion Nissan’s UEFA Champions League ambassador and FC Barcelona star, Andrés Iniesta, was on-site at the Barcelona plant where the vehicle is produced to take delivery of his Nissan Pulsar, and was given the unique opportunity to drive the all-new family hatchback off the production line.

The legendary Spanish footballer visited the Barcelona factory, where the all-new Nissan Pulsar was designed and engineered, to witness first-hand how the innovative new family hatchback has been manufactured and interact with the workers responsible for producing the vehicle. The Barcelona factory is also home to the global production of the e-NV200 – Nissan’s second 100 percent electronic vehicle (EV) after the Nissan LEAF – as well as all versions of the NV200 destined for Europe, the Pathfinder and the Navara.

After his visit, Andrés Iniesta said: “It’s been a fantastic experience to tour Nissan’s Barcelona factory and meet the people behind creating and building some of the most innovative vehicles. The factory is one of the biggest employers and a massive supporter of the region, and I’m honoured to be the first person to receive a Nissan Pulsar built in Barcelona.”

The Nissan Pulsar will be on sale from autumn 2014 and is packed with a range of accessible and useful technologies designed to make drivers feel more confident and comfortable. Redefining expectation with award-winning advanced technology features such as Nissan Safety Shield, the Nissan Pulsar combines bold design, technical innovations and class leading interior space to bring a new dimension to the C-segment.

“The Nissan Pulsar is one of the most innovative vehicles in our range and it seems perfect that Andrés Iniesta, as a true innovator in football and one of Nissan’s Engineers of Excitement, should be the first person to take delivery of the all-new Pulsar,” said Bastien Schupp, Vice President, Marketing – Nissan Europe.

Marco Toro, Managing Director - Nissan Iberia commented: “The Pulsar’s introduction highlights our ambition and desire to deliver intelligent design and technical innovation to the widest possible audience. As well as being the global production centre for the e-NV200, the Barcelona plant is proud to be producing the all-new Nissan Pulsar and we’re delighted to have a Spanish football legend here with us as we celebrate our first customer delivery of the vehicle.”

Nissan’s reputation for introducing new-to-sector technologies has been strengthened with a wide number of features usually reserved for premium or luxury models. Key features of the all-new Nissan Pulsar include:

• Nissan’s advanced Safety Shield – a suite of systems and technologies that combine to offer a fully comprehensive ‘safety net’ for drivers
• Only car in its sector to offer Moving Object Detection, Lane Departure Warning and Blind Spot Warning as standard on at least one model in the range
• Powerful yet frugal all-turbocharged engine range, delivering the perfect combination of performance and efficiency
• Longest wheelbase in class (2,700mm), the Pulsar offers considerably more legroom and shoulder room than its sector rivals
• Bold extension of Nissan’s acclaimed design direction incorporating the distinctive V-motion grille, boomerang-shaped lighting signature with bold and energetic curves

As the home of Nissan’s European Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) Business Unit, Nissan’s Spanish operations are an integral part of the company’s presence in Europe and a significant contributor to Nissan’s overall manufacturing output in this region. Among the three sites in Spain, Barcelona sits at the heart of Nissan’s Spanish operations and is the home of NMISA (Nissan Motor Iberica SA). The Barcelona plant covers an area in excess of 517,000m2, produced 131,000 units in 2013 and currently employs just over 3,500 people. Barcelona is also the base for a number of other Nissan facilities, including a division of Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE), a research and development facility for vehicles and diesel engines.