Nissan Australia already has its order books open for its X-Trail e-Power flagship, despite not yet releasing pricing and specs for its Toyota RAV4 Hybrid-rivalling mid-size SUV.
Speaking to CarsGuide, Nissan Australia PR boss Karla Leach said the order bank has already reached triple digits ahead of its early 2023 launch.
“We’ve got a couple of hundred orders for e-Power already, and once we’ve got the pricing confirmed later this week, we expect a lot more to come through,” she said.
“Dealers have already taken orders for the ICE engine, which we expect to be delivered before the endo the year, and then e-Power delivers will start in early 2023.”
Though Nissan Australia is yet to release pricing and specs for the X-Trail e-Power, the hybrid powertrain will only be offered in higher-spec grades – meaning it won’t come cheap.
The new-generation petrol-powered X-Trail line-up starts at $36,750 before on-road costs for the base ST, and tops out with the Ti and Ti-L for $49,990 and $52,990 respectively.
Expect then that the e-Power hybrid will exceed the Ti and Ti-L in price, likely starting around $55,000.
This would position the X-Trail e-Power above the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid that tops out at $52,700, while also priced around plug-in hybrids like the Ford Escape ($54,440) and Mitsubishi Outlander (from $54,490).
However, when asked if Nissan’s X-Trail sales mix could match the Toyota’s RAV4’s 70 per cent ratio, Ms Leah said it was still too early to talk about expectations.
“I can’t tell you that,” she said. “But I think the thing that I can tell you is that we’re always taking customer feedback and adjusting our sales forecast and ordering accordingly,” she said.
As for supply, Ms Leach expects Nissan to be able to deliver cars to customers in a timely manner, and CarsGuide expects wait times not to blow out to up to 18 months like in the case of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
“At the moment, what we’re encouraging customers is to place an order so that they’ve got their rightful position in queue, and we’re confident we’ll have good supply to launch,” she said.
“It’s a challenge facing the whole industry, that some people may have to wait for their cars to be delivered.”
However, Ms Leach still expects the X-Trail to regain the crown as Nissan Australia’s most popular model, despite sales numbers falling to 6236 units to the end of September this year due to the outgoing model being in runout.
“Definitely, [X-Trail] along with Navara will be our strongest cars in the range for Australia,” she said.
“Australians have loved X-Trail for a very long time. It’s consistently been a top performer in that segment and the changes will definitely put it at the top of the pack.”
Keyword: Nissan Australia is already taking orders for its Toyota RAV4 Hybrid rival