Nissan trims compact car line-up in Europe

The only passenger cars left are the Micra and the Leaf.

European motorists are flocking to crossovers and SUVs almost as quickly as Americans. Nissan has announced it has stopped making the Pulsar (pictured), a Golf-sized four-door hatchback, due to slow sales.

Pulsar production ended in June, according to a report published by industry trade journal Automotive News. The model retired prematurely; it made its global debut in 2014. It didn't stay on the market long enough to receive a mid-cycle facelift.

The Japanese firm told Automotive News it axed the Pulsar in response to "a rapidly increasing switch by European customers from traditional vehicle segments to crossovers." The Qashqai -- sold as the Rogue Sport in the United States -- outsells the Pulsar by a comfortable margin.

Buyers who want a Nissan car have two choices left: the all-electric Leaf and the tiny Micra. Everything else is either a crossover, a SUV, a van, or a pickup.

Don't expect Nissan to replace the Pulsar anytime soon. However, the firm will release an all-new second-generation Juke in the coming months. The model won't make the trip to the United States, where the more conventionally-styled Kicks replaced the Juke.

Photo by Ronan Glon.