Next Nissan Navara won’t be a Mitsubishi Triton clone

The next-generation Nissan Navara won’t be a Mitsubishi Triton clone after all.

A ‘leader/follower’ reorganisation of the product development processes at the Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi alliance announced back in May had placed the latter in charge of ‘body on frame’ development.

The information at the time was even the upper bodies of the new Triton and Navara could be shared to save money and that they may be separated only by styling details like grilles, headlights and badges.

But speaking to Australian media via zoom call this week, Nissan’s global product planning boss Ivan Espinosa made it clear Nissan would retain control of its popular Navara pick-up and inputs from markets such as Australia would be crucial to its development.

Espinosa was speaking after the global reveal of the MY21 Nissan Navara, which goes on sale in Australia early in 2021.

Although no timeframe has been officially announced, the next Navara should arrive by 2024.

“The way we look at the leader/follower approach is leveraging on what the alliance partners have, but the focus is on each company’s strategy,” Espinosa said.

“If in the future we find the need to do something different or unique because the customer is demanding we do so, this is what we will do.

“We will always be flexible. If we need to do something specific or unique to address either company direction or customer requirements we will do so, while at the same time we keep leveraging from the alliance partner.”

Stressing it was a theoretical example, Espinosa said one partner might supply the frame and another the powertrains.

He also made it clear the next-gen Nissan Navara could retain the current D23 Navara dual-cab’s controversial coil-spring five-link rear suspension which has now been retuned multiple times since launch in 2015.

“Absolutely. The requirements are set by the companies. Each company has its own requirements and this is how it works in the alliance because we have a different customer footprint and different market coverage as well,” Espinosa said.

“So the requirement for a European or Australian customer is not the same as for a Latin American customer and some companies have a stronger presence in one market or the other.

“If we have something unique we at Nissan need, we think of having that in our own truck and not following fully the other alliance partners will be doing.”

It was only when asked specifically if the next Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara would be “identifiably different” that Espinosa got cagey: “They could be, but I’m not here to talk about the next generation today.”

Separately, Nissan Australia managing director Stephen Lester explained a streamlining of the company’s global reporting structure announced October 1 helped clarify the separation between the Triton and Navara.

Nissan Australia had been part of the Asia & Oceania (A&O) region, but A&O has been absorbed into the new ASEAN-Japan region for which Mitsubishi will be product development lead, hence the expectation the next Navara would ape the Triton.

But as of October 1, Nissan Australia has joined the new Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania (AMIEO) region that will heavily influence the next Navara.

As we reported separately, the formation of AMIEO has also re-energised the chances of the Nissan Titan full-size pick-up coming to Australia.

“This is the answer to the leader/follower question that people have been asking,” said Lester.

“It looks like Mitsubishi leads in ASEAN, which up until one month ago, at least on paper, still included Oceania, whereas we were always moving out of this because it is not going to be our focus.

“We are not going to be led by Mitsubishi (on pick-up truck development) at all.”

Espinosa stressed that however the next Navara shaped up, it would have a strong Australian influence.

“There is a lot of testing that we do and a lot of customer understanding that we do in Australia,” he said. “You guys have one of the most, if not the most, demanding markets for pick-ups globally.

“It’s definitely playing a key role in our future planning.”

Related reading: New Nissan Navara unveiled