We know, there’s a new Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior already.
But the current Warrior is based on a car that’s been around since 2014, albeit one that’s been facelifted and updated multiple times.
It got us thinking, what would a clean-sheet Warrior look like? These images are where we landed.
Our graphic artist has taken heavy inspiration from the Titan pickup truck sold in the USA as a rival to the rampantly popular Ford F-150 and Ram 1500, along with the latest X-Trail, Qashqai, and Pathfinder crossovers.
There are slim, sharp-edged LED daytime running lights up front, around a tough interpretation of Nissan’s corporate face.
Down back, our Navara has tail lights nicked from the Titan and Frontier.
Like the current Warrior, our render has swollen wheel arches and tough details all around.
The next Nissan Navara will be developed hand-in-hand with the Mitsubishi Triton under a plan by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance to slash costs.
The Alliance last year announced plans to share “vehicle upper bodies” as well as platforms and electrical architectures, reducing the price of developing a new model by 40 per cent.
It’s likely Mitsubishi will take the lead on development. The brand has confirmed the 2023 Triton has been developed with a strong Australian focus, as Mitsubishi looks to close the gap with Ford and Toyota atop the sales charts.
Nissan will likely benefit from that local focus with the new Navara.
As revealed by CarExpert in 2020, the next-generation Ford Ranger will pack plug-in hybrid power. It’s not been confirmed, but Mitsubishi Australia has previously told CarExpert plug-in hybrid is a “core technology” in its new models.
Could a Navara plug-in hybrid based on the Triton be coming to take on the Blue Oval’s high-tech new dual-cab?
Nissan is also expected to offer a plug-in hybrid X-Trail based on the Outlander PHEV.
Currently, the Navara sits behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max, Mitsubishi Triton, and Mazda BT-50 in the 4×4 ute sales race.
Nissan has sold 7255 examples to date in 2021, up close to 40 per cent on the same point in 2020.
Sales of the 4×2 model are up just under 10 per cent on the same point in 2020.
To say the Navara is critical for Nissan in Australia is a gross understatement. It’s the brand’s second-best-selling car behind the X-Trail in Australia, and competes with some of the most popular cars in the country.
MORE: Everything Nissan Navara
