Nissan Phases Out Production of Ancient Tsuru Sedan in Mexico

Nissan Motor Co. says it will end production in May of the Tsuru, an entry-level sedan the company has been producing in Mexico since the early 1980s.

The car is one of the oldest vehicles in production anywhere in the world. Green-and-white Tsurus have dominated Mexico City’s taxi fleet for years. But the car, which lacks many basic occupant protection features, has an appalling safety record.

Reuters notes that Nissan announced its decision the day before the New Car Assessment Program global safety group planned to illustrate the Tsuru’s dramatically poor crashworthiness. NCAR planned to crash a Tsuru, which is sold only in Mexico and Peru, into the far more protective Versa small entry-level car Nissan sells in more developed markets.

Nissan says it has sold more than 2.4 million Tsurus, a car it describes as “accessible, economical and trustworthy.” The car was involved in more than 4,000 deaths between 2007 and 2012, Reuters reports.