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Pair of new products, bound for India, will leverage off of Nissan's alliance with Renault. For the moment, only the new Duster-based SUV has received approval for South Africa. Image: Nissan
Its plans for the South African market outlined towards the end of last year, Nissan has released select details of two models it will debut on the continent within the next 12 to 24 months.
The first phase of its global restructuring programme following the appointing of Ivan Espinosa as CEO in place of Makoto Uchida, the outlook for South Africa will involve the continual roll-out of the facelift Magnite the local market received towards the end of 2024
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While set to be introduced in Egypt with left-hand-drive, 2026 will see the long awaited arrival of the all-new Y63 Patrol that made its world premiere in Abu Dhabi last year.
South Africa being the second right-hand-drive country after Australia to receive it, the Y63 Patrol will most likely be offered solely with the new twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 as the normally aspirated 3.8-litre V6 won’t be made available outside the Middle East.
Also confirmed in the same year as the Patrol is a new, still unnamed five-seat SUV that will fill the gap left vacant by the discontinuation of the Qashqai.
First seen in a single teaser image last year, the newcomer will be modelled on the new Renault Duster and assembled at the Chennai plant once production of the latter kicks-off in 2026.
In a newly released teaser, Nissan also confirmed that the Indian market will see the introduction of a rebadged version of the Renault Triber from later this year, which, for now, remains to be confirmed for export markets.
Alongside the refaced Triber, the mentioned Duster-based SUV, which could revive the Terrano name used on a rebadged version of the first generation sold exclusively in India alongside the Renault, sports a Nissan-bespoke grille, L-shaped LED headlights and a sculpted bumper with a distinct lower air intake.
As with the rebadged Triber, no clear details were revealed.
Similarly, no indication was made about the second SUV that will be made at Chennai as a rebadged version of the seven-seat Dacia Bigster.
Teased alongside the rebadged Duster, the newcomer has received approval for South Africa and could replace the slow-selling X-Trail once revealed.
“[These] products will be Nissan’s answer to the Chinese competition in South Africa. We believe [India] is a good source to bring competitive and technologically advanced to market,” Nissan Managing Director for South Africa and Independent African Markets, Maciej Klenkiewicz, told the media on the sidelines of the Magnite’s launch.
Confirming comments made on the sidelines of the Patrol’s unveiling, the all-new Navara will make its eagerly awaited debut towards the end of 2025, initially in Australia with sales to start in early 2026.
Known by now to be based on the new Mitsubishi Triton, the Navara will swap the current Nissan-made YS23 and YD25DDTI engines for the Mitsubishi-produced 4N16 2.4 DI-D unit producing between 110 kW and 150 kW depending on the number of turbochargers.
While also set to use the same transmissions as the Triton, the Navara will have a “distinct Nissan feel” as opposed to simply being a rebadged effort.
This, according to Nissan Oceana Managing Director, Andrew Humberstone, who told drive.com.au last month, “we’re going to make a lot of changes to the product to make sure it’s in line with Nissan’s expectations.
“Yes, we have a relationship [with Mitsubishi], but that relationship could be effectively with any supplier.”
For the moment, a replacement for the NP200 remains unknown, despite it being known that an indirect replacement will make its debut, but only in 2027, in South America, based on the production version of the Renault Niagara set to arrive in 2026.
Nissan’s Chairperson for the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania regions, Guillaume Cartier, did, however, indicate it remains committed to introducing a second model alongside the Navara at its Rosslyn Plant outside Pretoria.
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