Australia's appetite for V8 power has continued to keep right-hand drive production of the new Y63 Nissan Patrol a while away.
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The timing of local deliveries of the new-generation Y63 Nissan Patrol remains up in the air.
Nissan Oceania’s managing director, Andrew Humberstone, told Drive that “nothing [is] finalised at this stage”, when pressed on when Australians can expect local deliveries of the next-gen Patrol to begin.
Humberstone revealed to Drive that Nissan Australia was holding a strong order bank for the outgoing Y62 Nissan Patrol, the last generation with a V8, potentially delaying the arrival of the next-gen Patrol, which has been mooted for a late-2026 or early-2027 arrival in Australia.
“We have an order bank of current Patrols, quite a strong one,” Humberstone told Drive. “I can't get enough production at the moment and I'm pushing for more production.
“If I'm not getting the production of the old, then I need to anticipate production of the new. So we're in ongoing discussions with that. Nothing finalised at this stage.”
Humberstone has previously told Drive that Australia is on track to become the first right-hand drive market for the new V6-powered Patrol.
But with strong demand for the off-roader from left-hand drive markets, and especially the Middle East, securing a production slot for RHD Patrols is proving difficult.
“We're going to be the first right-hand-drive market to get it [Y63 Patrol], but I think we're looking to see what we can do about that [timing],” said Humberstone.
“There's massive demand on the left-hand-drive [version], a very strong order bank. We're doing our level best to accelerate that [Australian launch]. But we're still going to be the first right-hand-drive in the world to get it.”
But Australia’s appetite for V8 power could force further delays to the introduction of the new Patrol with Humberstone stating, “we've arguably got the best Patrol in Y62.
“We're seeing a huge desire for that… It's the last of the V8s. So I'm desperately – priority number one – trying to get more of that production.
“But what I've said is, I'm available, either give me more Patrol Y62, or I [have to] anticipate Y63. I'm receptive. So the global organisation will tell me what they can do.”
However, when pressed, Humberstone was unable to shed more light on when locally deliveries of the new Y63 Patrol would commence.
“If we're able to anticipate, we certainly would. At the moment, there's huge demand in the Middle East and other markets. So it's under discussion, but I literally I don't actually know at this stage. It's all under discussion, and it depends on so much up and down the supply chain and what we can manage.”
It’s not the first time Nissan Australia has been faced with delays for a new Patrol model. The V8-powered Y62 Patrol took over two years to arrive locally, hitting local dealerships in October 2012 after first launching globally in February 2010.
The new Y63 Patrol is powered by a version of the V6 found in the Nissan GT-R. With outputs of 317kW and 700Nm, the V6 boasts more power and torque than the V8 which in its current form, claims 298kW and 560Nm.
The new Y63 Patrol has been on sale on the US and Middle East since late 2024.
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Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.
