Nissan Australia is set to finally announce one of the automotive industry’s worst-kept secrets.
The company has released a simple teaser of a Nissan logo against bright yellow paint – the hero colour of the Frontier Pro (aka Navara Pro) plug-in hybrid ute already offered overseas.
“Nissan will announce an exciting new addition to its Australian vehicle range this Thursday, marking a significant new step in the brand’s journey in Australia,” reads a short release accompanying the image.
“The announcement will provide the first details of a highly anticipated model’s arrival in Australia, bringing electrified performance and new levels of capability to Nissan’s Australian lineup.
“Tailored to the needs of Australian customers in a key segment and extensively tested and tuned for local conditions, the model represents an important milestone for Nissan.
“Nissan is inviting customers, fans and media to watch this space for the announcement on Thursday, 8 October.”
CarExpert has already received an invitation to the reveal, but Nissan Australia has continued to be coy about just what is being revealed.
It’s no secret, though, that examples of the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Frontier Pro ute – or Navara Pro, as it’s known in the Philippines – have been spied testing in Australia.
“We have some vehicles roaming around in our country… They are pulling heavy trailers. They’re going up steep grades. They are going off-road. They are wanting to make sure they meet the extreme needs of this market,” Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette told .
“It doesn’t mean because it’s launched in one iteration, one configuration somewhere, that it wouldn’t necessarily be the same here. So that’s the kind of stuff that we’re going through.”
When asked whether the Frontier/Navara Pro would feature a bespoke Australian suspension tune, the company cryptically teased there could be “much more than that”.
The company has been very coy considering it reportedly showed the PHEV ute to dealers late in 2025, confirming a 2027 launch.
In March 2026, Mr Milette’s predecessor Andrew Humberstone teased the announcement of a hybrid ute later that month, though this never eventuated.
The four-wheel drive Frontier/Navara Pro, revealed in China in April 2025, is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a transmission-mounted electric motor and a 33kWh ternary lithium battery, for total system outputs of 320kW of power and 800Nm of torque.
It’s based not on its Nissan Frontier namesake – an unrelated ute built in the US – but rather on the Chinese Dongfeng Z9.
Nissan claims EV range of 131km on the NEDC cycle, and fuel consumption of 7.2L/100km.
Vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability supplies up to 6kW of power and allows you to power electrical appliances via outlets in the tub.
Braked towing capacity is 3500kg – matching the unrelated, diesel-powered Navara – while wading depth is 700mm.
Off-road capability should also eclipse that of the BYD Shark 6, currently the top seller in Australia’s growing PHEV ute segment, thanks to an electro-mechanically locking rear differential.
Inside, there’s a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and the option of heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, plus a panoramic sunroof.
The Frontier/Navara Pro isn’t expected to be the only PHEV Nissan introduces here – or the only vehicle developed by the Dongfeng Nissan joint venture.
Nissan Australia has confirmed it’s evaluating various Chinese Nissan models for a local launch, including the upcoming Terrano PHEV off-road SUV – previewed at this year’s Auto China show in concept form – plus the NX8, a medium-to-large crossover SUV offered in China as either an electric vehicle (EV) or extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).
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