The Nissan Frontier is perhaps the most old-school truck on the market, still packing a 3.8-liter naturally aspirated V6. The truck is not without its rugged charm. But most would concede it’s approaching time for the brand to dispense with the safe mediocrity of the past and embrace a new Frontier. Motortrend spoke with Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan’s chief planning officer in the Americas, about a new Frontier. He didn’t make firm promises. But he provided a breakdown of the challenges and how Nissan plans to meet them.
Key Takeaways
- Nissan confirmed the next-generation Frontier midsize truck will be electrified
- The “ultimate solution” for the Frontier may be a plug-in hybrid
- The current truck, on a dated platform with a giant V6, could use an efficiency upgrade
- Nissan may also launch an electric truck alongside the hybrid Frontier
The New Nissan Frontier Will Be Some Form Of Hybrid
Pandikuthira confirmed to Motortrend that the new Frontier “will have to be electrified.” Nissan is “still working” on what that hybrid powertrain will look like. But Pandikuthira thinks the “ultimate solution,” to maintain the vehicle’s body-on-frame construction and towing capacity, would be a plug-in hybrid.
According to Pandikuthira, the new Frontier should arrive before the end of the decade, around 2028. It will ride on a new platform that can accommodate ICE through PHEV options. And Nissan may save development costs by converging the North American Frontier and global market Navara back into one truck; Nissan diverged the two when it built a new Navara in 2014.
The New Frontier May Not Be Nissan’s Only New Truck Coming
Nissan is also launching a new scalable EV platform around 2028. It will debut with EV crossovers for Nissan and Infiniti. But the platform could spawn up to five new vehicles, including an electric pickup. The new truck would be a “light payload” model targeted at active-lifestyle buyers. Nissan says they are monitoring the segment. But the truck has not yet been approved for production.
TopSpeed’s Take
We have a soft spot for the Nissan Frontier. But there’s a point where old-school becomes just old. And we’re kind of there. The current truck still runs on a substantially revamped version of the F-Alpha platform Nissan used in the second-generation model, which entered production in 2004. It’s hard to project forward months in the automotive world, let alone years, with all the tariff uncertainty. But whether it’s legislation or market pressure, Nissan’s next truck, potentially launching for the 2029 model year with a lifecycle extending into the 2030s, will need to do better than 17 MPG city and 21 MPG highway with a 4WD powertrain. Some form of hybrid should be the optimal way to achieve that.
It will be interesting to see how the midsize truck segment develops moving forward. Kia is planning an all-new electric truck. Other manufacturers like Mazda are looking at the segment too. The Frontier is a strong seller and profit driver for Nissan now. But the brand may need to do more to protect its market share moving forward.
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