New Nissan Navara a day away

Nissan has released a third teaser video in the lead-up to the reveal of its next-generation Navara ute tomorrow (June 11), highlighting a number of design elements for its all-new global pick-up.

Due on sale in Australia either late this year or early next, the new Navara replaces both the decade-old D40 first revealed in 2004 and the 17-year-old D22, which currently serves as Nissan's price-leading ute, priced at $24,490.

It can't come soon enough for Nissan. Sales of the Navara – once one of Australia's top-selling new vehicles, period – have plummeted by more than 57 per cent (4x2) and 47 per cent (4x4) so far this year.

This week's design video follows the weekend release of a video focussing on the development of the new model, which will be built on an all-new platform at Nissan's new $360 million plant in Thailand, and last week's video and teaser image highlighting Nissan pick-up know-how spanning 80 years and 14 million customers.

While it will retain the current model's unmistakably boxy shape and trademark wheel-arch flares, a 'faster' windscreen and more sloping bonnet bring a slightly sportier profile for the new Navara.

Other new design elements include more heavily sculpted body sides, boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lights integrated into new-look headlights, chamfered upper tray edges, a rising rear window sill and clamshell bonnet.

The Thai market oriented video also reveals a far more upmarket interior, dominated by a more car-like dashboard with two large silver-coloured spears that bookend the vehicle's new infotainment and climate control systems.

Though it's not clear how much technology will be offered as standard, the redesigned instrument binnacle in the model pictured features a large colour LCD screen between the tacho and speedo dials.

It also incorporated a large central colour touch screen, push-button engine starting, power outlets at the top and bottom of the dash, sat-nav, compass, trip computer, cruise control and a leather trimmed steering wheel.

The same interior is likely to appear in an all-new full-chassis seven-seat off-road wagon version which was confirmed by Nissan's global product chief Andy Palmer at the New York show in April, when he pre-empted the new Navara's drip-feed reveal campaign.

The as-yet-unnamed SUV will be a spiritual successor for the superseded Pathfinder, to be sold alongside Nissan's new-generation crossover wagon line-up including the latest Pathfinder, Patrol, Murano, X-TRAIL, JUKE and upcoming Qashqai.

Just as the seven-seat SUV will compete with Toyota's Prado, Holden's Colorado7, the Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Challenger and Ford's upcoming Ranger-based Everest, the Navara will continue to battle Toyota's HiLux, Ford's Ranger, the Mazda BT-50, VW Amarok and Mitsubishi's Triton – which will also be renewed around year's end – in the lucrative one-tonne ute segment.

No technical details have been announced, but Palmer said the new Navara would remain around the same size as its predecessor, which ranges between 5125mm and 5296mm long.

Expect the new Navara, which may be available with a 2.8-litre Cummins-sourced turbo-diesel, to again be available in single-, king- and dual-cab body styles.