- The Z9 will be offered with gas, diesel, and hybrid powertrains.
- All models come standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
- Production of the new pickup truck started earlier this month in China.
Nissan has a new model in its family, although this latest creation isn’t one of its solo projects and has been brought to life through its Chinese joint venture with Dongfeng. While the Japanese automaker continues to struggle with serious financial issues, it has been able to co-develop a new pickup truck, named the Z9.
The truck is underpinned by a new architecture and is 5,520 mm (217 inches) long, 1,960 mm (77.1 inches) wide, and stands 1,950 mm (76.7 inches) tall, with a 3,300 mm (130-inch) wheelbase. It has a dual-cab design and a surprisingly compelling exterior design. Nissan and Dongfeng have been able to design the Z9 so it stands out from rivals without throwing out the rulebook and adopting a weird and controversial styling as Kia did with the new Tasman.
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A large light bar and Z-shaped LED daytime running lights characterize the truck’s front end. It also has a split grille design, and the lower area of the bumper is finished with silver and black elements. Viewed from the rear three-quarter, the Z9 somewhat reminds us of the latest Toyota Tundra, and that’s certainly no bad thing.
A peek inside the cabin reveals the Z9 has a two-spoke steering wheel with silver controls positioned in front of a small digital instrument cluster. A large central infotainment display takes pride of place in the center of the dash and while it appears many controls are found exclusively in this screen, there are still some physical toggles below the center air vents.
Available powertrains include a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 258 hp and a 2.3-liter turbodiesel delivering 190 hp, both of which are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. A hybrid variant is also in the works to rival the popular BYD Shark. Although many details about this version remain unknown, it’s tipped to deliver 435 hp and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque and have a range of 1,100 km (683 miles) under the NEDC standards.
Production of the pickup started earlier this month in China. There’s no word on whether Nissan and Dongfeng plan to export it to overseas markets, but several other cars from the joint venture are available in Russia, so it’s possible the Z9 could be sold there, too.
