Nissan plans product offensive for Australia, fuelled by Chinese partner

A seismic change is coming to Nissan Australia’s model range in the years ahead.

And, you guessed it, most of the new metal we’ll see will come from China, in large part due to Nissan’s decades-long partnership with Dongfeng.

You can expect the new NX8 electric SUV, possibly the N7 electric sedan, the Frontier Pro (or will it be Navara Pro?) plug-in hybrid dual-cab ute, and maybe a spin-off electrified large SUV, too.

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That’s in addition to the just-revealed 2027 X-Trail e-Power, while the door isn’t as firmly shut on the striking new Juke electric SUV as first thought, either.

Much of this was revealed by Richard Candler, Nissan corporate executive for family, product and component strategy, in Yokohama this week.

Mr Candler told Aussie media including CarExpert that he was surprised how few Nissans he saw on a recent trip Down Under.

“I didn’t really understand why we’re not stronger,” he said. “I sort of felt like we could do more in Australia. [It’s] my ambition now to see what we can do to make Australia a bit stronger.”

“I think one of the questions should be how many cars do we need for Australia? We already have quite a big lineup,” he said, though the Juke small SUV and Pathfinder large three-row SUV have both recently been discontinued.

“I know we’re doing a bit of restructuring at the moment, but what is the right balance of number of cars versus the size of the market? This is also something we always need to balance out.

“Of course we can offer 15 cars, 20 cars, but we need to get the number of cars because otherwise it makes it very difficult to invest,” he added, while further pointing out the challenges that Australian Government emissions regulations, known as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), present to the brand.

Enter models like the Nissan NX8, co-developed with Dongfeng, and available as either an electric vehicle (EV) or extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).

The large five-seat SUV is expected to hit our shores by the end of 2027, if confirmed.

“I see broad potential for NX8, for sure,” said Mr Candler. “This is one of the priority cars that we will take on a broad global axis, for sure. We’re discussing with the teams at the moment about how we do that.”

Nissan might also add an electric sedan – the N7 – to its mix, essentially filling a gap left open in the company’s range for a decade, since the Altima finished up in 2017.

It’s bigger than a Tesla Model 3, more like a rival to the newly added Mazda 6e, which starts at just under $50,000 before on-roads and has 560km of WLTP range. Like the N7, the Mazda was also developed with a Chinese joint venture partner.

“But really what we’ve confirmed already was the N7 and the Frontier Pro, we’ve confirmed some markets for both of those products, they’re the front-runners,” he said. “NX8 will come shortly after those cars as well. Because it’s so new, it hasn’t quite got to that point yet.

“The good news is that China goes quickly. I think once we’ve finalised the business case, we can bring these things quite quickly.”

The Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid pick-up truck is bigger than a Navara but would likely sit alongside it, possibly wearing the Navara Pro badge.

“In the case of the sort of Frontier Pro/Navara Pro type product, right-hand drive is one thing that we need to work through,” said Mr Candler, though it appears its local launch is inevitable as it was already previewed to Australian dealers late last year.

“The second is probably powertrain. Australia requirements for powertrain are a bit more severe,” he said. “We need good towing, we need off-road capability, those sort of things. And this is something we need to look at on that product to make sure it’s capable.”

That lesson has already been learned by BYD, which – while selling the Shark 6 in big numbers for lifestyle ute buyers – was widely criticised by reviewers for having less off-road and towing capability than key rivals. But, as Mr Candler said, China moves fast, and there’s now a more powerful Shark 6 Performance with more grunt and bigger towing capacity.

Meanwhile, the Nissan PHEV ute will likely spin off a large SUV, as Mr Candler stated, which may also form a mid-way point between the X-Trail and Patrol models in the local range – effectively sitting where the Pathfinder was, but with a much better emissions figure and a more approachable price.

“On the SUV, that’s somehow already designed in from the base,” he said. “We got to that product and it’s sort of a dedicated product for us, basically for export. It’s a really good opportunity. So, give me a few months.

“My team have tested these cars in Australia already, and already made recommendations for tuning. And obviously, what’s good for China is not necessarily directly transferable.

“So we know the requirements for Australia, the team know very well, they’re driving these cars in Australia and understanding what the requirements would be,” he said.

Earlier in the week, Nissan showed off the origami-inspired Juke small EV, and while it was stated multiple times that it’s a European-focused model, Mr Candler said the door isn’t firmly shut on the new Juke for Australia.

“Europe is still trying to hold on to its industry. That pushes us in certain ways, structurally as well. I’m not saying we wouldn’t bring Juke,” he said. “We could certainly discuss it. Shipping it around the world and then the foreign exchange to Aussie dollars. It’s quite complex these days.”

And if the Juke isn’t it, what else could Nissan slot in under the Qashqai as the brand’s entry-level SUV? The Kicks, of course.

It’s available in right-hand drive with e-Power hybrid tech and, with its less polarising design, it could find favour in our market.

“I think we’re in a position of restructuring what the portfolio is going to look like for the next stage for Australia. I think Kicks could be an option for sure. Let me look at it,” he said.

Mr Candler added Nissan produces a few different Kicks models in different locations around the world, which could help justify it 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, it has scuttled plans to bring the third-generation Leaf here, despite having previously confirmed it.

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