The past decade has seen a huge increase in interest for performance off-road vehicles capable of taking on tough tracks while also being able to cope with the demands of families as daily drivers.
Ford has its Raptor product line (Ranger, Bronco, F-150), Toyota has TRD Pro (Tundra, Tacoma) and GR Sport (LandCruiser, HiLux), while even Ram is leading the rebirth of SRT with the 1500 TRX.
While Nissan has its long-running Nismo brand and is continuing to expand its model lineup, it is without any off-road capable vehicles, with the closest product – the Patrol Nismo – running on 22-inch forged aluminum alloy wheels and riding almost 60mm lower than the standard car.
However, in Australia, customers can buy the Nissan Navara and Patrol Warriors, both of which are focused on delivering greater off-road ability, thanks to improvements made by Melbourne-based Premcar.
Australian firm one step closer to partnering with automotive icon
Established after the closure of Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV), Premcar has transitioned from on-road to off-road modifications, with its Warrior products sold through Nissan dealerships.
Speaking to Torquecafe amid speculation that Premcar could be enlisted to help Nismo expand its product range, CEO and engineering director Bernie Quinn said the off-road market is one Nissan’s in-house performance brand should be open to entering.
“There’s a lot of synergies in what we do and what they’re [Nissan are] trying to do with the Nismo brand,” Quinn said.
“The sports off-road space is something that Mismo are not currently participating in, but it’s a massive opportunity.
“If you look at how things like Raptor and Warrior and GR Sport are doing here, then you have a look at what those brands are doing – TRD Pro [in the US] – then there’s a shitload of opportunity there.
“That’s really where the conversations are at. As Andrew [Humberstone, Nissan Oceania managing director] said, there are lots of good discussions happening.”
Nissan’s ties to Premcar are more than just Australia-exclusive.
Last year, Nissan’s South African division announced a joint collaboration with Premcar to introduce the Navara Pro-4X Warrior in the market, resulting in Premcar SA – a joint venture with AIH – modifying the ute in the factory where it’s built. It’s understood this program has been halted as the Navara factory in South Africa is being sold.
In August, Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti revealed a series of concepts, including the QX80 Terrain Spec, based on the Patrol’s premium twin-under-the-skin. Developed by Premcar, it showed what an upmarket version of the new Y63 Patrol Warrior could look like.
On top of this, Nissan has hailed Premcar’s local testing and tuning of the new D27 Navara’s suspension as crucial to the ute’s potential success, with the program becoming the first time the Australian firm has worked on a non-Warrior production product.
A new-generation Navara Warrior is also on the way, and images of the concept show more than a little touch of Nismo’s iconic red exterior highlights.
Nissan last year said it wants to double the number of Nismo vehicles on sale globally from five – the Z, Patrol, Ariya, X-Trail and Note – to 10, and that it would “consider collaborations with external partners to expand its Nismo car lineup business”.
The brand has projected Nismo sales will rise by 50 per cent from 100,000 cars annually to 150,000 cars by 2028, buoyed on by an increase of 40 to 60 per cent outside of Japan, suggesting there could be some individual market-only offerings.
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