A seismic change is brewing Nissan Australia model range in the coming years.
And you guessed it: Most of the new metal we’ll see will come from China, thanks in large part to Nissan’s decades-long partnership with Dongfeng.
You can expect the new NX8 electric SUV, possibly the N7 electric sedan, the plug-in hybrid crew-cab SUV Frontier Pro (or will it be Navara Pro?), and perhaps an electrified spin-off large SUV as well.
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This applies in addition to the just introduced X-Trail e-Power 2027, while the door of the striking new electric SUV Juke is also not as tightly closed as initially assumed.
Much of this was revealed this week by Richard Candler, Nissan’s head of family, product and components strategy, in Yokohama.
Mr Candler told Australian media, among other things: Daily Sparkz that he was surprised at how few Nissans he had seen on a recent trip Down Under.
“I didn’t really understand why we weren’t stronger,” he said. “I kind of felt like we could do more in Australia. (It’s) my goal now to figure out what we can do to make Australia a little bit stronger.”
“I think one of the questions should be, how many cars do we need for Australia? We already have quite a large supply,” he said, although the small Juke SUV and the large three-row Pathfinder SUV were both recently discontinued.
“I know we are restructuring a bit at the moment, but what is the right balance between the number of cars and the size of the market? We always have to balance that too.”
“Of course we can offer 15 cars, 20 cars, but we have to reach the number of cars because otherwise it will be very difficult to invest,” he added, further pointing to the challenges that Australia’s emissions regulations, known as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), pose for the brand.
There are also models such as the Nissan NX8, which was developed jointly with Dongfeng and is available as either an electric vehicle (EV) or an extended range electric vehicle (EREV).
If confirmed, the large five-seat SUV is expected to hit the market in late 2027.
“I certainly see great potential for NX8,” said Mr. Candler. “This is certainly one of the priority cars we will field on a broad global scale. We are currently discussing with the teams how we do this.”
Nissan could also add an electric sedan to its mix – the N7 – essentially filling a gap in the company’s lineup that has remained open for a decade since the Altima was launched in 2017.
It’s bigger than a Tesla Model 3 and more of a competitor to the newly launched Mazda 6e, which starts at just under $50,000 before on-road launch and has a WLTP range of 560km. Like the N7, the Mazda was developed with a Chinese joint venture partner.
“But actually we have already confirmed the N7 and the Frontier Pro. We have confirmed some markets for these two products, they are the front runners,” he said. “Shortly after these cars comes the NX8. Since it’s still so new, it’s not quite there yet.
“The good news is that China is moving forward quickly. I think once we get the business case done, we can implement these things quite quickly.”
The Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid pickup is larger than a Navara, but would likely sit next to it and possibly wear the Navara Pro badge.
“In the case of a Frontier Pro/Navara Pro product, right-hand drive is something we need to get used to,” Mr Candler said, although it appears its local launch is inevitable given it was already introduced to Australian dealers late last year.
“The second thing is probably the powertrain. The Australian requirements for the powertrain are a little more stringent,” he said. “We need good towing capacity, we need off-road capability and things like that. And that’s something we need to look for in this product to make sure it’s capable.”
That’s a lesson already learned by BYD, which sold the Shark 6 in large numbers for lifestyle ute buyers but was widely criticized by reviewers for being less off-road and towing capable compared to key rivals. But as Mr. Candler said, China is moving fast, and there is now a more powerful Shark 6 Performance with more power and greater towing capacity.
Meanwhile, the Nissan PHEV ute is likely to be an offshoot of a large SUV, Mr Candler said, which could also form a middle ground between the X-Trail and Patrol models in the local model range – effectively where the Pathfinder was, but with a much better emissions figure and a cheaper price.
“With the SUV, this is somehow already planned from the ground up,” he said. “We came to this product and it’s kind of a special product for us, essentially for export. It’s a really good opportunity. So give me a few months.”
“My team has already tested these cars in Australia and has already made recommendations for tuning. And of course, what is good for China is not necessarily directly transferable.”
“So we know the requirements for Australia, the team knows it very well, they drive these cars in Australia and understand what the requirements would be,” he said.
Earlier this week, Nissan unveiled the origami-inspired small EV Juke, and despite multiple claims that it was a Europe-focused model, Mr Candler said the door to the new Juke for Australia was not yet firmly closed.
“Europe is still trying to maintain its industry. That’s pushing us forward in some ways, including structurally. I’m not saying we wouldn’t introduce Juke,” he said. “We could certainly discuss it. Shipping it all over the world and then converting it into Australian dollars. It’s quite complex these days.”
And if it’s not the Juke, what else could Nissan place alongside the Qashqai as the brand’s entry-level SUV? The kicks, of course.
It’s available in right-hand drive with e-Power hybrid technology and could find favor in our market due to its less polarizing design.
“I think we are in a position to restructure the portfolio for the next phase of Australia. I think Kicks could definitely be an option. Let me take a look at it,” he said.
Mr. Candler added that Nissan produces a few different Kicks models in various locations around the world, which could help justify this as an option in our market.
In addition to these potential new models for Nissan’s local lineup, the brand will also launch its long-awaited Y63 Patrol in the next 12 months.
However, plans to bring the third-generation Leaf here have been foiled, although this was previously confirmed.
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