The Nissan Xterra off-road SUV is being revived, while a Skyline-inspired RWD sedan with the Z's twin-turbo V6 and manual transmission is reportedly under development.
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Nissan will build a ladder-frame SUV to rival the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest and Mitsubishi Pajero, and a twin-turbo V6, Skyline-inspired luxury sedan with a manual transmission – but they are no guarantee for Australia.
At a dealer conference in the United States, where Nissan announced it will launch 20 new or updated models in the US in the next two years amid its current financial struggles, a revival of the Xterra off-road SUV was confirmed, Automotive News reports.
The 2027 Nissan Xterra will reportedly be a "rugged, affordable" large-sized SUV, which will use a new body-on-frame platform designed for five upcoming models, including the next-generation Frontier ute.
Based on the Frontier, which was once heavily related to the Navara available in Australia, the original Xterra was sold in the United States between 1999 and 2015 across two generations, as a smaller alternative to the more rugged Pathfinder of the era.
It is unclear if the reborn Xterra is under consideration for Australia, as US-market examples will be built at Nissan's factory in Canton, Mississippi, which currently builds the Frontier, making right-hand drive production unlikely.
In Asia and the Middle East, Nissan has sold the Terra or X-Terra off-road SUV since 2017, which is based on the current D23 Navara, but has never been offered in Australia despite initial interest in the model.
Automotive News reports the revived X-Terra will have a six-cylinder hybrid engine, potentially with a range-extender plug-in hybrid system to deliver a 120-kilometre electric-only driving range.
The next-generation 2026 Nissan Navara ute is due in Australia in the coming months, however, it will be heavily related to the current Mitsubishi Triton.
The rear-wheel-drive 2027 Infiniti Q50S – which could be called the Nissan Skyline in Japan if it is built in right-hand drive – will reportedly use the Nissan Z's 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, tweaked to deliver "more than" 335kW, up from 298kW.
It will reportedly be offered with a six-speed manual transmission, and will have "slender" headlights, circular tail-lights inspired by earlier Nissan Skyline models, and a "swoopy profile".
The current Infiniti Q50 was introduced in 2014 and sold in Australia until 2019 when the Infiniti brand was axed, while it lived on until 2024 in the US, with its US line-up now limited to the Pathfinder-based QX60 and Patrol-based QX80 SUVs.
However, the four-door luxury sedan remains in production in Japan, where it is marketed as the Nissan Skyline, with a version of the Z's 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6.
Earlier rumours have suggested the Japanese-market Nissan Skyline could become an SUV in its next generation.
At the dealer conference, Nissan also confirmed the US version of the next-generation X-Trail will launch in 2027, with an evolved V-motion grille featuring a honeycomb design, and a full-width rear light strip.
The next-generation X-Trail, sold as the Rogue in the US, will feature Nissan's third-generation e-Power hybrid system, which will appear first in the Qashqai small SUV in Europe later this year.
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa told dealers it is "taking action fast to address our weaknesses and strengthen our business fundamentals" amid its largest net financial loss in 25 years.
"I’m confident we know what needs to be done to turn things around," Espinosa said.
Turnaround measures in the 'Re:Nissan' plan include the closure of manufacturing plants in Japan and Mexico, cutting its production capacity by around one million vehicles, job losses, and reduced new vehicle development times.
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
