By now, it’s confirmed that the next-generation Nissan Navara will make its world debut by 2026. There were several details dropped by Nissan, so one can say that the Japanese automaker is starting to make some noise about its future pickup.
If the confirmation isn’t enough to get people excited, Nissan dropped another bombshell. The brand has made it clear that it has plans to build a Navara Nismo down the line.
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That’s according to Ivan Espinosa, Nissan’s global product strategy vice president. He’s the same executive who confirmed revival plans for the Silvia. In his words, “This [the Nissan Navara Nismo] is also something that we are looking at and you could imagine seeing something along those lines with the partners that we are working on that as well.”
The words ‘we are working on that’ is a glimmer of hope for Navara fans who’d like a high performance version of the pickup. Of course, the product strategists have to convince the higher ups that it’s a project worth doing, and one that’ll sell. This is still a business, after all.
Nissan didn’t go into further detail, but there’s a good chance we’ll finally see something like a Ford Ranger Raptor and Toyota Hilux GR-S rival from the company. Given the sales and critical success that these pickups have had, it could be the right move for the brand. And don’t forget that Mitsubishi also wants build a high performance version of its Triton under the Ralliart banner.
It’s confirmed that the Triton and third-generation Navara will share the same underpinnings. With that in mind, it might be possible that Mitsubishi and Nissan could work together in building more potent versions of their respective pickups. Differences could lie in suspension tuning, powertrain options, and minor components to differentiate the models.
As for the engine, that’s still up in the air. Diesel power seems to be the most logical choice given its segment. That said, Nissan’s engineers have access to the all-new Patrol’s 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 that makes 425hp and 700Nm of torque. While it seems like wishful thinking, it’s worth noting that Ford shoved nearly 400hp in the V6-powered Ranger Raptor.
Does this mean Nissan can answer back with a Patrol-powered Navara? Nothing is confirmed at the moment, and the only thing to do for now is to watch this space.
