Nissan to announce its all-new Navara within a few weeks; will spawn successor for previous Pathfinder 4x4 wagon
Nissan will commence the countdown to its fourth-generation Navara ute within weeks ? and the all-new one-tonner will again form the basis of a full-chassis seven-seat SUV in the spirit of the previous Pathfinder.
The revelation came at this week's New York motor show from Nissan's chief product planner Andy Palmer, who indicated that first details ? at least ? of the replacement for both the 17-year-old D22 and decade-old D40 Navara utes will be announced imminently.
When asked about the redesigned Navara, which will be built at a new plant in Thailand from late this year, Palmer said: "You only have to wait a few weeks to find out more details on that."
Palmer said the new Navara one-tonner, which goes into production in Thailand later this year, will be about the same size as the outgoing D40, but indicated the global model will be more efficient and stylish, while remaining a workhorse.
"It's around about the same [size as the D40] ? a one-tonne pick-up that's fairly generic in terms of overall dimensions.
"I think it's about what you can deliver on fuel consumption, what you deliver on styling ? these are the key differentiators for that kind of pick-up market."
The next Navara's efficiency is expected to come from a new 2.8-litre Cummins four-cylinder engine similar to the one that debuted in the Chinese Foton Tunland ute released here in November 2012.
The switch to Cummins power for Navara follows the announcement that Nissan's next (US-only) full-size Titan pick-up will be offered with a new 5.0-litre V8 turbo-diesel, which could also eventually power the Y62 Patrol.
Nissan foreshadowed the move by unveiling the Cummins-powered DieselRunner concept at the Chicago motor show in February, suggesting the newer US-built 2.8-litre TD4 will replace Nissan's own 2.5-litre YD-series turbo-diesel in at least North America's version of the Navara, the Frontier.
Likely to be coupled to the same ZF 8HP70 eight-speed automatic transmission as seen in the concept, a Cummins diesel four for the new Navara would be the next step in the US diesel engine giant's expansion as an OEM supplier of light commercial vehicles.
In the Tunland, the 2.8-litre engine produces 120kW at 3600rpm and 360Nm of torque between 1800 and 3000rpm, while consuming 8.4L/100km. In comparison, the current D40 Navara consumes 9.3L/100km and develops between 103kW/356Nm and 140kW/450Nm.
The next Navara will be built at a new plant in Thailand from late this year, ending Nissan's light truck manufacturing relationship with Mitsubishi, which has produced up to 40,000 Navaras a year at its Thai plant.
Construction of a new $360 million Nissan plant to build up to 370,000 new Navaras a year in Thailand will leave Mitsubishi free to manufacture its own new Triton there from around the same time.
Both new utes could go on sale here (Australia) as early as December. No official details have been released for either model, but the new Navara will bring all-new sheetmetal, a redesigned interior and, given it's the heaviest vehicle in its class, weight reductions.
The new Triton, meantime, was previewed by a wild concept at various 2013 motor shows and is due to launch with a four-cylinder diesel engine that should be joined by a hybrid powertrain by the time of its midlife facelift.
So while the Volkswagen Amarok, Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger, which itself will be facelifted in 2015, currently stand out as the three newest and most modern one-tonne utes in their class, they will soon be joined by new-generation Navara and Triton models and, next year, Toyota's new HiLux.
Perhaps even bigger news is Palmer's surprise acknowledgement that Nissan will develop another hard-core off-road wagon based on the Navara ? this time a new global ladder frame instead of being twinned with the Titan.
"It would be logical, wouldn't it? That's rhetorical by the way," said Palmer of a born-again Navara-based Pathfinder.
"The current model [Navara D40] uses basically the Titan platform, which frankly makes it a little expensive [in terms of] cost not price.
"So what we've done with the next generation of global pick-up is we've gone to a bespoke platform, which is much more cost-effective and allows us to address ? let's say ? more general arduous conditions, to do what it is built to do.
"I think undoubtedly something like a one-tonne pick-up starts with its ability to work... I came from the light commercial business so I always go back to the light-commercial business in that pick-ups define their genesis at the worksite.
"What you build on top of that in terms of the more luxury [orientated] segments then go back to that basis of good durability, good quality and good reliability, so if I was doing a pick-up, that's where I'd start."
It's unclear what nameplate the Navara-based SUV will wear, given the Pathfinder badge now graces a seven-seat crossover based on the same monocoque chassis as the Altima and next-generation Maxima sedans.
While the current Pathfinder rivals seven-seat people-mover substitutes like the Toyota Kluger, Ford Territory, Holden Captiva 7 and Mazda CX-9, the new Navara-based SUV will be a seven-seat off-road wagon to compete with the Toyota Prado, Holden Colorado 7, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Challenger and Ford's upcoming Everest.
