Automotive News reports Nissan’s North American dealers were last week shown a preview of a new-generation ladder-frame platform, set to spawn five new models.
According to the publication’s sources, 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.
The Xterra was previously sold across two generations, however it exited production at the end of 2015, with its then 10-year-old platform and 4.0-litre V6 petrol engine not able to keep up with contemporary rivals.
As it was then, the new Xterra will reportedly be based on the same platform as the upcoming Nissan Frontier, the brand’s mid-sized pickup in the US, which is slightly larger than the Navara sold in Australia.
The report also claims the design of the Xterra will follow in the footsteps of the Prado (sold in the US as the LandCruiser), with “a blocky, adventure-ready design” and “an upright grille and squarish headlights”.
We may have already seen what the new Xterra could look like, based on this shadowy teaser image posted by Nissan in March, in which it teased a handful of new models for North America.
However, while at the time it said it would produce an “adventure-focused SUV” with electric power at its Canton, Mississippi plant, the most recent report says the Xterra will likely be available with a hybrid V6 and a plug-in hybrid version, the latter of which could boast 120km of electric driving range.
Given recent emissions penalty changes in the US which have resulted in the rebirth of petrol engines such as the Hemi V8, it’s more likely the Xterra will be hybrid than fully electric.
In addition to the Xterra, Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti is expected to launch a twin to the SUV, while it was also given a boost last week with the announcement of a possible return of a performance sedan, named the Q50S.
Discussion about this post