The Nissan Navara, one of the longtime staples of the South African bakkie scene, is expected to usher in a new generation of vehicles within the next one to two years.
While Nissan South Africa has not yet provided any details regarding its new 4×4, international reports suggest that the vehicle will launch in late 2024 in markets like Europe, while countries like Australia will receive it in early 2025.
Given that Australia is South Africa’s closest counterpart with regard to pickup sales and distribution, it is likely that Mzansi will get its hands on the new Navara at a similar time, putting the estimated time of arrival somewhere in the first half of 2025.
What we know so far
The Japanese automaker has been tight-lipped regarding the development of its new bakkie, providing only a drip feed of new information over the course of several months.
What is confirmed is that the next-gen Navara will share much of its architecture with the upcoming Mitsubishi Triton, as Nissan is currently engaged in a three-way partnership with Mitsubishi and Renault.
Similar to the agreement between Ford and VW that gave us the new Ranger and Amarok, the Navara will share the same platform as the Triton but will differentiate itself with distinct features, visuals, and powertrains.
In an interview with Australia’s Carsales.com, Nissan’s Head of Product and Product Strategy, Ivan Espinosa, stated that it would not be a challenge to distinguish the new Navara from the Triton, as the three alliance members meet up every month to ensure their cross-collaboration vehicles are still unique.
2024 Mitsubishi Triton
The new Triton is actually already on sale, having launched in July this year, but is currently relegated to a handful of ASEAN markets such as Thailand, with even Mitsubishi’s home market of Japan having to wait until 2024.
This means there are still plenty of factors that could change for the Triton’s eventual debut in markets like South Africa in the second quarter of 2024, which in turn will dictate how Nissan plays its cards with the Navara when it comes out in 2025.
The 2025 release date lines up well for a next-gen launch, as the current Navara (produced locally at Nissan’s Rosslyn Plant in Pretoria) has been around for nearly a decade, popping up in 2014 with its most recent facelift occurring in 2021.
2021 Nissan Navara SE
While no specifics have been given, the company said that it will continue to offer both petrol and diesel drivetrains, but that it will also launch its first-ever plug-in hybrid in response to the changing global landscape.
However, there is no word of a battery-electric bakkie yet because. Despite Nissan’s announcement to go all-electric in Europe by 2030, the brand is still committed to internal combustion engines for the Navara specifically, as it is chiefly aimed at the ASEAN market where electric vehicles (EVs) are still many years away from being the norm.
Another detail to come from the carmaker’s interview is that it is not planning to introduce a series of higher-displacement engines, effectively ruling out the possibility of something like the 3.0-litre V6 plant we got in the next-gen Ford Ranger and VW Amarok.
For reference, the entirety of the manufacturer’s South African line-up is paired to a 2.5-litre powertrain with varying outputs. There is a single naturally-aspirated petrol unit while all the others use some form of turbocharged diesel.
You can see the Nissan Navara’s current engine options below:
- 2.5-litre petrol – 118kW/233Nm
- 2.5-litre turbo-diesel – 120-140kW/403-450Nm
Given that the next-gen Mitsubishi Triton is sticking with a refined version of its 2.4-litre turbo-diesel powerplants, it seems reasonable that Nissan will do the same and offer an uprated version of its existing motors.
Keyword: Next-generation Nissan Navara – Everything we know so far