Premcar might not be one of the most immediately recognisable brands in Australia’s automotive landscape, but its Warrior range of toughened-up off-roading Nissans has made it one of the most popular ‘tuning’ brands locally.
After being born as a team of engineers who were previously responsible for Ford Performance Vehicles’ greatest hits, Premcar worked on its first Nissan in 2019, enhancing the Navara N-Trek as its first Warrior product.
Following this came the Navara Pro-4X Warrior, the Navara SL Warrior and most recently the Patrol Warrior, all providing more off-road ready Nissans off the showroom floor.
With a new Mitsubishi Triton-based Navara set to debut soon and the ‘Y63’ Patrol on the horizon – the Infiniti QX80 twin to which Premcar has already made an off-road concept of – Nissan Oceania managing director Andrew Humberstone told Torquecafe the brand is interested in continuing to work with the Melbourne-based firm.
“We look at everything, we’re a white sheet of paper with these things (new models coming). We have a very good relationship with Premcar,” Humberstone said.
“Warrior is doing very well for us as a brand with Patrol and Navara. Of course, we look at ‘what are the capabilities beyond that?’.
“It’s about authenticity. It’s about ‘where is it legitimately credible to be adding value to the product in order to enhance an off-road experience?’ Where that’s possible, then yes.”
Nissan’s relationship with Premcar recently extended beyond Australia, with the Japanese brand’s South African division announcing a joint collaboration to introduce the Navara Pro-4X Warrior in the market.
Premcar’s modifications – which aren’t identical to those on Australian examples – will be fitted by Premcar SA as a part of a joint venture with AIH, taking place in the factory where the South African Navara is built.
When asked about the relationship between Nissan and Premcar, Humberstone said he wants it to be talked about more.
“We get along very well with Bernie (Quinn, Premcar CEO) and the team there. I think they’re a solid partner and we see a long-term relationship, and it goes beyond just Australia but it was kind of born here.
“It’s a bit like our (Melbourne) casting plant – we want to talk more about it, and tell people more about it. Bernie says it all the time as well, ‘this is a car made in Australia, by Australians, for Australians’, and that narrative is actually very solid.
“Even as an ex-pat, I kind of get that, but then I think 30 per cent of your population weren’t born here, so it speaks to a much wider audience. It brings a form of nostalgia and authenticity and pride to the brain.
“We are very happy with that relationship, and we continue to try and test it, and look at
creative alternatives and solutions across the product portfolio and saying, ‘what could we do and how?’
“Then by definition, we go beyond the borders of Australia and New Zealand and our region. Some great news in Africa and some interesting stuff in the US and so on.”
While it appears to be good news for Premcar’s relationship with Nissan in Australia and beyond, the in-house Nismo has less offerings locally than the local firm.
The Nissan Z Nismo serves as the only model from the high-performance arm sold here, despite Nismo versions of the Patrol, Ariya and X-Trail being sold overseas.
According to Humberstone, some of those vehicles may be on the cards, though none are locked in for a local debut yet.
“It’s early days, I think. We’ve just launched the vehicle (X-Trail Nismo), so it’s not on the agenda today, but Nismo is by definition a very strong brand for us.
“Potentially in the future as a part of our brand strategy – like we have with Premcar and Warrior – we are looking at how we optimise on Nismo across the portfolio as opposed to specifically with a particular nameplate.
“I think there’s a place for us to leverage more on Nismo, like we’re doing with Warrior, but that’s more the street version and off-road version. It is part of the brand strategy.”
Ben Warren, Nissan Australia’s national manager for electrification and mobility, added such Nismo models would need to fill a “credible role” in the product lineup.
“The ethos of Nismo is not just a sticker kit and a body kit. It has to come with performance and it has to fit the portfolio, similar to Warrior.
“It needs to fit the product and the segment, and it needs to fit that performance criteria, and certainly it could be an exciting proposition.”
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