Nissan is desperate to keep itself afloat, and it’ll aim to do so in North America with a new version of its once-popular rugged Xterra SUV.
Reports of the Nissan Xterra’s revival surfaced in August, after the brand’s North American dealers were shown a preview of a new-generation ladder-frame platform, set to spawn five new models.
At the time, an insider source of Automotive News said one of those five models is set to be the third-generation Xterra, a Toyota LandCruiser Prado and Ford Everest-sized SUV with off-road capabilities, having disappeared from North American showrooms in 2015.
This week, speaking to Bloomberg, Nissan Americas chairman Christian Meunier confirmed the Xterra nameplate will return in 2028, and be built at the brand’s Canton, Mississippi plant where the Frontier pickup is currently produced.
As it did previously, the Xterra will share its body-on-frame platform with the Frontier – which is a step larger than the Navara – but the SUV will be powered by a hybrid V6 engine. Details of the powertrain are yet to be revealed.
The previous Nissan Xterra was powered by a 4.0-litre V6 engine, and was axed in 2015 due to stricter emissions regulations, something which has effectively been repealed in the current Donald Trump Administration.
Nissan will target Toyota’s popular 4Runner with the Xterra, with the Ford Bronco also serving as a natural rival to the SUV.
According to the earlier Automotive News report, the design of the Xterra will follow in the footsteps of the 250 Series Toyota Prado (sold in the US as the LandCruiser), with “a blocky, adventure-ready design” and “an upright grille and squarish headlights”.
A teaser for what could become the new Xterra was shared by Nissan in March (below).
Meunier added Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti could launch a version of the Xterra, joining its family of off-road capable SUVs such as the QX80 (a rebadged Nissan Patrol, sold in North America as the Armada).
While the return of the Xterra will give some cause to celebrate, its revival will come at the cost of an electric SUV which had been planned to go into production at the Canton factory.
“With the market being very uncertain about EVs, I think it’s the right thing to do,” Meunier told Bloomberg.
The Xterra will be just one part of Nissan’s revival plan, with recent reports suggesting it’ll bring back a performance sedan to North America, named the Q50S.
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