The Nissan Tekt could be on its way to Australian showrooms after news that the Japanese brand’s local division has begun the process of registering the Tekton brand name here.
Set to go on sale overseas in 2026, the Tekton was officially announced earlier this week, sporting an exterior design modeled after that of the upcoming Y63 Nissan Patrol – the only real competitor to the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series – which is already on sale in the US and is due to go on sale here next year.
Nissan Australia could not confirm whether the Tekton will launch in this market, nor did it comment on whether to trademark the name locally when contacted by Nissan Australia Daily Sparkz.
Automakers typically trademark a new model name before launching a vehicle in a particular market or, if they have no immediate intention of launching it in that market, to “protect” the name and prevent competitors from using it if they decide to launch the vehicle later.
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While it borrows design cues from its big brother, the Tekton is based on the latest Renault Duster small SUV, which was launched here in August.
Nissan and Renault are partners in an industrial alliance that also includes Mitsubishi. This allows both brands to share platforms, powertrains and even entire vehicles if they find it beneficial.
The Duster and Tekton are based on a “lower” version of the Alliance’s CMF-B chassis architecture, which underlies models such as the Nissan Qashqai in its higher specifications.
The Tekton is a compact, affordable city SUV – similar to the Chery Tiggo 4 and Mahindra XUV 3XO – and was designed primarily for India, where it is manufactured.
Like the XUV 3XO, the Tekton is less than four meters long, avoiding a higher vehicle tax bracket in India.
Further details such as the powertrains have yet to be revealed, but the Tekton is expected to use the same engines as the Duster.
The new Duster is offered with an entry-level turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 48V mild hybrid technology.
Indian market models often lacked key safety features compared to Australian-spec vehicles, so lower prices were the focus instead.
To be sold in Australia, the Tekton would need to be equipped with advanced driver assistance systems, many of which are mandatory here.
The same underpinnings as the Duster mean it’s at least designed for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection and curtain airbags.
However, the Duster has received a rating of three out of five stars from Euro NCAP and is currently not rated by ANCAP in Australia.
Most Nissan models in Australia currently have a five-star ANCAP rating, with only the aging Navara ute and Leaf electric hatches not yet rated.
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