The Nissan NX8 SUV was launched in China as a Toyota Kluger-sized large SUV with five seats and a choice of electric and extended-range electric powertrains.
Scheduled to launch in China in the second half of 2026, it is the third model in the Nissan N series, joining the N6 hybrid sedan and N7 electric sedan that debuted this year.
Nissan also offers the Frontier Pro ute, a competitor to the BYD Shark 6 developed by Chinese joint venture partner Dongfeng and confirmed for an Australian release in 2027.
Pricing and full specifications of the NX8 for launch in China have yet to be announced.
Reports from CarNewsChina suggest that the Chinese-made N-series models could be exported to the Middle East and Southeast Asia – possibly including Australia.
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Given the popularity of SUVs in Australia – SUVs have been the best-selling segment here for almost a decade – the NX8 appears to be a far stronger candidate for local showrooms, but Nissan Australia has not confirmed whether the model will be sold here.
The electric version could complement or replace the Nissan Ariya, which went on sale here in September after being sold abroad since 2020, its local launch triggered by stricter emissions regulations.
There is also an NX8 range extended electric vehicle (EREV), which differs from Nissan’s existing e-Power series hybrid vehicles in that it can be plugged in.
The e-Power drivetrain is currently soldin the X-Trail and the smaller Qashqai SUV in Australia cannot be connected to the power grid and uses the gasoline engine to charge the battery instead of transferring the drive to the wheels.
Like the Frontier Pro, the NX8 was developed with Dongfeng and at 4870mm is slightly longer than the X-Trail, currently the brand’s most popular model sold here.
The NX8 drapes its
It is the first N-series model to use an 800V version of the Tianyan platform shared by the trio.
Both the EV and EREV versions use CATL’s new generation lithium iron phosphate (LFP) “Yundun” battery developed and packaged by Nissan, supporting ultra-fast charging at 5C.
Battery sizes for the EREV – which uses a 109kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine and a 195kW electric motor – as well as official range figures have yet to be confirmed.
The electric NX8 uses a single motor with a choice of two outputs: 215kW and 250kW.
Like other N-series models – and the Frontier Pro – the NX8 can use the HarmonyOS cockpit, which features a 15.6-inch touchscreen running Huawei’s HarmonyOS (operating system) with AI-powered search capabilities.
Driver assistance systems include LiDAR-based technology – recently discontinued by safety expert Volvo – with automatic parking and Navigation on Autopilot (NOA) for autonomous driving.
At the Shanghai Motor Show in April 2025, Nissan – one of several Japanese automakers struggling with slow sales in China – announced that 10 “new energy vehicles” (NEVs) were planned by mid-2027.
The term NEV is used in China to describe electrified vehicles – i.e. all types of hybrids and battery-electric vehicles – in a group.
The announcement states that the launch will see the number of Nissan-badged NEVs rise from five to nine, led by the N-Series and Frontier Pro, which are said to be developed at “China speed.”
According to the company’s latest figures for January to the end of October 2025, Nissan’s sales in China fell 5.4 percent year-on-year – but in the UK and US the declines were even greater at 8.8 percent and 10.7 percent respectively.
The Japanese brand fell from the list of the world’s top 10 best-selling car brands earlier this year with its worst results since the 2008 global financial crisis after significant financial losses. It is closing several production facilities.
In Australia, Nissan’s 18.7 percent year-to-date decline has seen a decline in all models except the low-volume Pathfinder.
Of all Japanese brands in Australia, only Honda and Lexus recorded growth in 2025.
Last month, Nissan unveiled the new Navara ute, the first to be paired with the Mitsubishi Triton, which could give the brand’s sales a boost ahead of the launch of the new Patrol SUV and the next Leaf EV.
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