After pulling the Titan full-size pickup from the US market, Nissan is banking on a section it’s higher positioned in with mid-size vehicles. Amid Nissan’s next-gen Frontier delay, hypothesis is rising that it may reemerge as a mid-size EV pickup.
In accordance with a provider memo seen by Automotive Information, Nissan is extending manufacturing of the present technology Frontier by two years.
Nissan will now proceed constructing the Frontier at its Canton, Miss facility till the 2029 mannequin 12 months. The earlier technology lasted 17 years earlier than receiving its first main refresh in 2021.
Though Nissan didn’t supply an evidence for the extension, one provider accustomed to the matter instructed the publication that the refresh would have come simply because it was getting ready its Canton facility to construct new Nissan and Infiniti EVs.
The supply added that Nissan doesn’t need “a significant mannequin launch in the course of the time that they’re beginning up” the EV transition.
Actually, the Frontier might not obtain a redesign in any respect, in keeping with the supply.
Is Nissan engaged on a mid-size EV pickup?
As a substitute of the deliberate next-gen pickup initially slated for the 2027 mannequin 12 months, the supply mentioned the Frontier may reemerge as an all-electric mid-size pickup.
Nissan simply reached the a million mark for EV gross sales final month, 12 years after launching the long-lasting LEAF.
Regardless of its early success, the LEAF has misplaced momentum, with almost each automaker releasing extra superior electrical fashions with longer vary, superior expertise, and improved charging.
The Japanese automaker did launch its second all-electric mass-market automobile, the 2023 Nissan Ariya, which arrived within the US in late 2022 (and is already outselling the LEAF).
In the meantime, Nissan is reworking its Canton facility to construct new electrical fashions with a $500M funding revealed final February.
In accordance with Nissan’s manufacturing schedule (through Automotive Information), the primary fashions will probably be a pair of electrical sedans beginning in 2026. A few electrical crossovers are due within the following two years.
David Johnson, Nissan’s North American senior vp, instructed the publication, “Canton will probably be North America’s electrification hub for the following 5 to 6 years.” He added, “That’s the place we’re going to herald the brand new platforms, the brand new expertise.”
Concerning a mid-size EVpickup, Nissan advisory board chairman Tyler Slade mentioned earlier this 12 months:
The Frontier Hardbody has been part of Nissan’s model for many years. It’s logical to carry an electrical model.
Slade added that sellers are in search of mid-size electrical pickups much like the Frontier. He added that electrical vehicles supply benefits over gas-powered ones, explaining:
Vehicles sometimes get the worst gasoline mileage. So, making them electrical will scale back working prices.
Nissan declines to remark regardless of the rising hypothesis. Nonetheless, delaying the pickup “provides the market time to mature sufficient to permit an electrical Frontier to hit the bottom operating with excessive sufficient quantity to generate profits,” in keeping with AutoForecast Options Vice President Sam Fiorani.
Electrek’s Take
An electrical pickup may assist Nissan reclaim its standing as a frontrunner (or a minimum of stay aggressive) within the new electrical period. Nissan has bought 34,139 Frontier fashions by means of June this 12 months in comparison with 4,234 LEAF and 5,195 Ariya EVs.
There’s a rising want for smaller EV pickups, and Nissan may fill the void with an electrical Frontier.
In the meantime, Ford, GM, and Tesla will battle it out within the full-size section with the F-150 Lightning, Chevy Silverado EV, and Tesla Cybertruck.
By the point the Frontier is due for a refresh, an electrical mannequin is the one possibility that is sensible. The market is already transitioning faster than most have predicted, and the pattern seems to proceed in that path.
How do you guys really feel a few mid-size Nissan EV pickup? Would you purchase an electrical Frontier? Tell us within the feedback.
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