Nissan boss says brand just weeks away from hybrid ute announcement

Following plenty of speculation, Nissan Oceania managing director Andrew Humberstone has indicated that the Japanese marque is just weeks away from announcing a hybrid pick-up for its line-up in Australia and New Zealand. 

Speaking to local media, Humberstone outlined that the brand will announce a new ute “in two weeks”. When asked whether this update was in regards to a hybrid ute, Humberstone said “yeah, it will be”.

The pick-up Humberstone was alluding to is understood to be the Nissan Frontier Pro — a plug-in hybrid that is a product of Nissan’s joint venture with Chinese carmaker Dongfeng. 

Set to rival the likes of the Ford Ranger PHEV, BYD Shark 6, and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV, the Frontier Pro combines a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor, a proper four-wheel drive system, and a 33kWh battery pack.

Its pure electric range is a CLTC-rated 135km, and its powertrain develops 320kW of power and 800Nm of torque. Nissan also claims the model can tow up to 3500kg, placing it on par with the aforementioned Ranger and Cannon.

It is unknown whether the model will be offered in this region with Frontier Pro badging, or with a Navara badge. Humberstone, who departs his Nissan Oceania role at the end of the month to return to the brand's European division, did not elaborate further on the model.

The Frontier Pro isn’t the only Dongfeng-based Nissan model on the table with Nissan. Humberstone confirmed that the Chinese market Nissan N7 and Dongfeng’s S7 sedan as possibilities for the future, as well as other Dongfeng models.

“These are all on the drawing board to be discussed, and some of them we already have a tick on,” said Humberstone.

The update cements what was already looking like a very busy time for Nissan. The marque is in the midst of launching its all-new Navara. It will soon bring in an updated Qashqai, phasing out pure petrol variants in favour of an entirely e-Power based line-up. A more affordable two-wheel drive X-Trail e-Power variant is set to hit the market soon, and by the end of the year the next-generation Patrol will also be hitting New Zealand. 

On the flipside, as previously reported, Nissan has dropped the Ariya, Pathfinder, and Juke for the New Zealand market. It has also shelved plans to launch the all-new Leaf in New Zealand, with Humberstone citing the country’s turbulent electric vehicle market conditions.