NISSAN Australia is primed and ready for a big 2022 with four new model introductions and the local arrival of two key new technologies, amounting to what the brand is calling the “most exciting 12 months” in its history Down Under.
Local executives are so excited they have even dubbed the product onslaught ‘All New’ in an effort to emphasise the significance of the year to the market.
“Next year will be a huge 12 months for Nissan, as we undertake an almost brand-wide refresh with the launch of four incredibly exciting and all-new models,” Nissan Australia managing director Adam Paterson said.
“From the return of our iconic Z to the rugged yet refined Pathfinder, the stylish Qashqai to the adventure-ready X-Trail, I can confidently say there is an all-new vehicle for everyone in 2022.”
The Qashqai will kick things off when it arrives in the first quarter of next year and while the exact timings of the other models are yet to be confirmed, GoAutounderstands it will be followed in the second half of the year by the Z sportscar, fifth-generation Pathfinder large SUV and fourth-gen X-Trail, in that order.
With the second-gen Juke light SUV only having launched last year and the Navara getting a mid-lifecycle refresh this year, Nissan’s portfolio is shaping up to be the most modern it has been in a long time given a new-generation GT-R supercar has already been confirmed and the looming introduction of the Patrol Warrior.
Discounting the GT-R, the Patrol is comfortably Nissan’s oldest model on sale at the time of publishing, having first launched here back in 2013 before being facelifted in 2019.
If the original Navara N-Trek Warrior was anything to go by, the enhanced Patrol Warrior could mark the beginning of the end for Nissan’s flagship SUV given the fettled ute was only on sale for 12 months before a new model lobbed.
More than just the line-up though, Mr Paterson said he was equally as excited to see the local introduction of the e-Power electric drive system and the ProPilot safety suite.
“It’s not just new vehicles, but new innovations, too,” he said.
“We are excited to introduce Nissan e-Power, providing a 100 per cent electric motor-driven powertrain as well as our flagship ProPilot advanced driver assistance system all due to arrive next year.
Save for the new Qashqai, no other model has been confirmed to be receiving the e-Power electric tech which uses a small capacity petrol engine to generate charge for a lithium ion battery which then powers an electric motor which in turn propels the car.
While the petrol-powered Qashqai will arrive early in 2022, the e-Power versions will take a while longer and aren’t tipped to launch until the second half of the year.
As for the ProPilot ADAS suite, it combines adaptive cruise control (with stop and go function) and lane centring technology into one system to provide level 2 vehicle autonomy.
Nissan Australia has sold 31,652 new vehicle so far this year ending September 30, of which 10,214 have been X-Trails, meaning the new-generation – developed in tandem with the Mitsubishi Outlander – will have big shoes to fill when it arrives.