Nissan says its new X-Trail SUV is good enough to snatch second-place in the mid-size SUV from the Mazda CX-5, which would leave it trailing only the seemingly unstoppable Toyota RAV4 in Australia.
Well, that’s the bold claim anyway, with the brand suggesting “the product is good enough” to return the Japanese brand to its former sales glory.
“Pending supply, I definitely think we have the product to jump up to number two. But it all hinges on production and availability,” said Nissan X-Trail product manager, Aleksandar Pecanac.
“I guess the inverse is how much product Mazda can get, and if they’re constricted.”
It would be a stunning return to form for the Japanese brand, which has been lately starved of new products and sales have slumped.
Last month, for example, the brand shifted just 1247 vehicles in Australia — down 63 per cent on the corresponding month last year — finishing 17th overall in the new-car sales race. To be fair, the brand was without the X-Trail, which had effectively sold out, faced supply contractions on Patrol, and was awaiting the new Qashqai and Pathfinder.
With new metal finally arriving in Australia — and with 1700 people already in the queue for Qashqai, 2500 people in the queue for X-Trail and around 800 orders for Pathfinder — the brand could at last be at a turning point.
That is, of course, if they can secure supply. And on that point, the brand is hopeful.
“We’re very much in the hands of the production gods on that. We’re definitely in a very good position to get the maximum production we’ve asked for,” Mr Pecanac said.
Keyword: Is this Nissan's big SUV comeback? Brand says it can take down the Mazda CX-5 and target the Toyota RAV4 with the all-new X-Trail