Nissan say a new all Navara will go on sale in Australia around 2026 and will be based on Mitsubishi’s electrification technology.
Guillaume Cartier, Nissan president of AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania), told the media that while diesel will be the Navara’s first cab option, plug-in hybrid technology will follow.
“We are working on the legal side, to understand whether it will be a passenger car or an SUV and how a pickup truck will qualify among them. That is under discussion,” Cartier said.
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Current Nissan Navara
“We need to respond to regulation, but we also need to respond to customers. The way pickup trucks are used in Australia is completely different to other places. Because some people use them for work and some people use them for fun.
“So we need to make sure that if we electrify, how we electrify. I think it will be a two-step approach, first with the PHEV solution, then with the EV. It will be a two-step approach.”
When asked if this PHEV solution would be a Mitsubishi-based one, Cartier confirmed that it would be the quickest and easiest way to integrate plug-in hybrid technology into the Navara.
“That is what we are looking at, but first we will go with the diesel approach,” he said.
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Mitsubishi Triton
“First, we cooperated with Mitsubishi… We also have our own technology, which is solid-state batteries, but it will take time.
“We’re testing at the end of 2024, but that’s really the turning point. If this technology is as successful as we believe it is, we can electrify cars that can’t be electrified today.”
The next-generation Navara is expected to share its platform with the new model Mitsubishi Triton.
While Nissan has rolled out e-Power hybrid technology across its entire SUV range, it has yet to confirm any plans to introduce the technology to the Navara.
Mitsubishi has mastered plug-in hybrid technology with cars like the Outlander PHEV and this is likely to be the technology applied to Navara.
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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
This will give Nissan an upcoming competitor. BYD Shark And Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid pickup truck.
But battery technology will need to improve because the Outlander PHEV, a much lighter vehicle than the Navara, has a driving range of only about 84km.
The BYD Shark has a 30kWh battery, while the Outlander PHEV has a battery of around 20kWh.
Either way, it’s a big step forward for the Navara, but it will be too late to take advantage of the Australian Government’s tax benefits for private hire unless the scheme is extended.
