Nissan says the Patrol’s booming popularity isn’t going anywhere, with soaring fuel prices and rising interest rates doing nothing to dampen enthusiasm for the brand’s V8-powered Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series rival.
In fact, Nissan is expecting sales to only increase, with the Japanese company forecasting improved supply to help clear a backlog of customer orders.
That’s the word from Nissan Australia boss Adam Paterson, who suggests we’ve entered something of a new normal for the Patrol in Australia, with what was once seen as a Covid-inspired boom – as Australians took to domestic travel like never before – still showing no signs of slowing.
The Nissan Patrol managed a massive 5724 sales in the last calendar year, and the brand has plans to improve that number in 2023.
“We sold right around the 6000 mark in the last calendar year, and the number for the fiscal year (the Japanese fiscal year ends March 31) will be similar,” says Mr Paterson.
“We plan to grow that number (this) year. And we still have a very strong order bank.”
Nissan says it was wary of rising fuel prices and interest rates and the impact they might have on a model like the Patrol, which starts above $80,000 and has a 140-litre fuel tank that demands premium fuel.
But the brand says the seemingly bulletproof popularity of the Patrol hasn’t yet waned.
“I think we’ve asked ourselves questions as fuel prices have fluctuated, but they’re still fluctuating high. They haven’t dropped drastically,” Mr Paterson says.
“And as interest rates have risen. But we haven’t seen our order bank for Patrol, or our enquiry for Patrol, or our website metrics for Patrol, slow down.
Nissan is aware that rising fuel prices and interest rates may impact Patrol sales.“I think that encourages us that the demand is there, regardless of what’s going on in the economy or with fuel prices.”
There is more big news on the Patrol horizon, with the impending launch of the locally developed Patrol Warrior which should launch in the second half of 2023, ahead of an all-new Y63 model that’s expected in 2024 or 2025.
“We’ve confirmed (the Warrior), and we’re going to bring it to market as fast as possible,” says Nissan Australia chief, Adam Paterson.
“We’re all still trying to finalise the exact specification, but as soon as all those specifics are landed upon we’ll then be able to give you a better timeframe.”
Keyword: Betting big on bulletproof 2023 Nissan Patrol: Why soaring fuel prices won't sink the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series rival in Australia