Since the previous generation Nissan Navara also had an SUV variant marketed under the Pathfinder moniker, the all-new pickup may as well spawn an SUV.
A new report from Australia says such a model is in the works, especially since the new Navara has a five-link rear suspension that would need little modifications for an SUV variant.
Takashi Fukui, the chief engineer of the new Navara, told Australia’s Motor Report at the launch of the new pickup that he and his team are working on an SUV, which is one year away from launch. That means that development of the new model is well under way and has been part of the original brief, given the five-link rear suspension setup.
The SUV is expected to look like a Navara with a wagon rear end, similar to the way the original Pathfinder resembled the Nissan Hardbody truck. Since the all-new Pathfinder has gone softer and migrated upmarket, the Navara SUV would compete with the Ranger-based Ford Everest and other similar models.
It is not yet known whether the new model will retain the Navara name or adopt a new one.
By Dan Mihalascu
Design renderings by Teophilus Chin
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