Nissan hoping new ‘accessible’ hybrid X-Trails will boost sales

Nissan Australia is wanting to take a bigger swing at one of the leading segments of Australia’s new-car market, launching a wider range of its hybrid X-Trail e-Power SUVs.

The carmaker has expanded its lineup of X-Trail e-Power hybrids with the addition of front-wheel drive variants, joining the existing all-wheel drive e-Power e-4orce, as well as front- and all-wheel drive, petrol-only versions of the brand’s best-selling model.

Prices start from $45,990 for the X-Trail ST-L e-Power FWD, $50,915 for the X-Trail Ti e-Power FWD, and $54,715 for the X-Trail Ti-L e-Power FWD. For context, that represents a saving of $3090 for the ST-L compared to the AWD e-Power, and a $3655 discount for the Ti and Ti-L against the e-4orce versions.

It also narrows up the price difference between the regular petrol-powered X-Trails and the hybrid variants, while giving Nissan greater coverage in the segment.

According to data shared by Nissan, of the circa-26 per cent of hybrid vehicle sales in Australia from April to August 2026, 51 per cent of cars delivered were two-wheel drive (either front or rear-driven), compared with all-wheel drives making up the remaining 49 per cent.

Speaking to Torquecafe at the launch of the updated X-Trail range, Nissan Oceania managing director, Steve Milette, said the addition of the front-wheel drive e-Power variants should add to the nameplate’s overall sales, rather than come at the expense of the petrol-only versions.

“I think from April to the end of August, 25.9 per cent of all vehicles were hybrids. In that 25.9 per cent, we only played in half of it,” Milette said. 

“Now we open up the world to the other half. And it's the $3000 difference – the two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive hybrid e-Power – so it's more accessible. And you do open up the, the, the complete hybrid segment in the medium SUVs. 

“To answer your question, it’s going to be more [that] sales expectations for X-Trail go up, it's not substitutional, for us it's a net addition overall, but this will only help X-Trail sales.”

To the end of July – the most recent month industry-wide sales figures have been distributed – Nissan delivered 8189 examples of the X-Trail, making it the brand’s best-selling model, and accounting for more than half of its 15,445 overall deliveries.

However, at the time it was down 15.9 per cent year-on-year to its 2025 results, and is being comfortably outsold by not only other mid-sized SUVs with petrol and hybrid power – such as the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, and Mitsubishi Outlander – but also the electric Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7.

The current RAV4 is Australia’s third-best selling passenger car and has frequently been the most popular non-electric vehicle in recent months following initial supply issues, despite only now being offered in hybrid and plug-in hybrid guise.

When asked whether Nissan could follow suit and drop the X-Trail’s petrol-only engines from the lineup, Milette said it’s a “possibility”, but unlikely to happen.

“So far this year, 33 per cent of our sales [for X-Trail] are hybrid, and the balance obviously are not,” he said.

“Where petrol is still a preference is in the fleet world. For us, it's a fine balance between the price points you're trying to get to. On the retail side, I think the world is shifting maybe more to hybrids, but as we introduce two-wheel drive e-Power, the next 90 days should be more like 50/50.

“I do think over time you'll see e-Power hybrids take over in terms of the dominant powertrain, and then we'll see about the future.”