Nissan Navara AT32 may come to Oz

Nissan's new off-road-focused Navara AT32 was initially produced as a limited-edition model for the European market, but now Nissan Australia has indicated it's keen to bring the vehicle Down Under.

First unveiled at the 2018 CV (Commercial Vehicle) expo in Britain last April, the model is the result of a collaboration with Euro off-road specialists Arctic Trucks, which has fitted Nissan's flagship Navara dual-cab ute with a suite of modifications to further hone its off-road credentials.

Carsales.com.au recently sampled Nissan's new 'tough truck' for itself at an off-road drive event in Morocco alongside the brand's Navara-based Terra SUV, Patrol four-wheel drive and American-made Titan full-size pick-up.

Off-road ready

The Arctic Trucks upgrade comprises a 20mm suspension lift, while 32-inch all-terrain tyres – rolling on unique 17-inch Arctic Trucks alloys – add a further 20mm of ride height.

Nissan says the boosted ground clearance of 244mm subsequently improves the model's approach, ramp-over and departure angles by three degrees respectively, compared to the standard Navara.

Rounding out the kit is comprehensive underbody protection, wheel-arch flares and AT32 badging, while two options are also available: a front differential lock to complement the standard rear diff lock, and a snorkel. The latter sees the Navara's wading depth increase from 600mm to 800mm.

Mechanically, the AT32 is remains unchanged, powered by the same 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder with 140kW/450Nm outputs, matched to the same six-speed manual transmission or seven-speed auto.

Brand collaboration

The AT32 represents the first time Nissan has collaborated with a brand partner in Europe, with the AT32 based on the top-spec Navara N-Guard produced in Nissan's LCV production facility in Barcelona, Spain.

First shown in concept form at the 2016 Hannover motor show in Germany, the N-Guard went on sale in Europe in August. It slots into Nissan's Euro line-up as a sibling for the Navara Tekna, but offers a sportier look courtesy of its numerous blacked-out components.

Both the N-Guard and the Tekna are essentially twin flagship grade trims for the Navara in Europe, being priced in France at around Euro 45,000 ($A70,700) including taxes. The AT32 upgrade, meanwhile, adds a roughly Euro 7000 ($A11,000) premium, including both the optional front diff lock and snorkel.

According to Andrew Limbert, Nissan's European Regional Product Manager for LCVs, the release of the AT32 has thus far proved very promising, with the kitted truck's initial production run of 400 vehicles selling out quickly.

"We weren't sure how big the market [for a product like this] would be because it's always been left to the aftermarket as an upgrade, but we've already sold out of that [initial] batch," he told carsales.com.au.

"So we're going to keep going and continue to offer it.

"It's always going to be a relatively limited volume, but also it's relatively limited in terms of the number of customers who are going to want that from a European standpoint."

Further afield

The desire for a harder-edged off-roader would of course be greater in Australia, relatively speaking, and Nissan has indicated it is currently looking at expanding the AT32's horizons to include other world markets.

However, because the AT32 conversion is currently carried out in Spain and is based on the Navara produced in Barcelona, Nissan's Chief Product Specialist for frame-based LCVs and pick-ups, Pedro Deanda, said the company was looking at a variety of other options for additional markets.

"There is one main restriction, which is that Arctic Trucks only has operations in Europe," he said.

"We are very happy with the collaboration and they are also very happy; but they only have a presence in Europe and we are actively studying where else this could be distributed."

As Australia's Navara D23 Series 3 is produced in Thailand and features a number of differences to the model produced in Spain – including its own locally tuned, dual-rate coil-spring rear suspension – it's likely Nissan would pursue another avenues to bring the variant to our shores.

"There is many possibilities – Navara for Australia is coming from Thailand so you could have Arctic Trucks setting up and supporting operations from Thailand, or doing the conversion in Australia, or in Europe and shipping direct to Australia," he said.

Nissan currently produces the base vehicle with some minor modifications to prepare it for Arctic Trucks, which then carries out the conversion before returning it to Nissan for sale through the Nissan dealer network, with full factory warranty.

In-house future?

While Deanda was quick to emphasise the synergies of the partnership, he acknowledged that future iterations of a similar theme could potentially be taken 'in-house'.

"Yes, it could be done eventually, but this is the first collaboration we have done with them [Arctic Trucks] and it's been very successful," he said.

"For better efficiency that [in-house production] is something that could be set up…"

Such a move would arguably make more sense for the Australian market, where the Arctic Trucks brand isn't well known.

"They [Arctic Trucks] are the experts in this conversion, so as experts we believe it is better for them to do the conversion," said Deander.

"In Europe the Arctic Trucks name is quite strong so it's a win-win to have that name on the truck. It's good for them to have trucks with their name on it on the road and it also give confidence to the customers about the capability of the truck.

"Now because they're only focused on Europe at the moment, the Arctic Trucks name outside of Europe does not so much work."

Local expertise

Deanda also refused to rule out the possibility of off-road specialists in other markets taking on a similar role to that of Arctic Trucks.

"It's not exclusive with Arctic Trucks but standards need to be met," he said.

"Whoever does the conversion, there are very strict standards to be met and quality cannot be compromised. If there is someone who has the same or maybe even better quality and performance, then for sure there could be that application."

As for which specific markets are likely to receive the AT32 – or indeed any similarly themed equivalent – Nissan is remaining tight-lipped.

"We're looking at introductions for many markets."

"I can't tell you if it's going to go there [to Australia] or how soon, but we're looking into opportunities in other markets."

Hot competition

The introduction of the Navara AT32 to Australia would assist Nissan in its fight to compete against rivals like Toyota's HiLux Rugged X and Ford's Ranger Raptor, as well as recent high-output offerings like the V6-powered Amarok Ultimate 580 and the Navara-based Mercedes-Benz X-Class.

Nissan held a 24.3 per cent share of the 4x4 ute category in Australia in 2007, but increasingly fierce competition has seen that figure drop to 7.4 per cent (year-to-date October 2018, VFACTS data).

Meanwhile, the 4x4 ute category currently accounts for 14.7 per cent of Australian new car sales, with 143,193 units sold to the end of October – making it the third most popular category behind medium SUVs (174,094 units) and small cars (169,757 units).

Maintaining momentum

With the next-generation Navara – representing a collaboration between Nissan and latest Alliance partner Mitsubishi – not expected to arrive until 2022, providing a fresh twist on the existing architecture is one way in which the company will seek to maintain brand awareness and sales momentum in the years ahead.

The company has produced numerous Navara concepts in recent years, including the Frontier Sentinel concept rescue vehicle in the US, the Navara Dark Sky collaboration with the European Space Agency.

In Australia we've seen the introduction of the Navara N-SPORT Black Edition and, more recently, the Navara ST Black Edition, but nothing that extends to the adoption of a new powertrain, such as the 'Raptor Fighter' or Navara NISMO previously alluded to by Nissan Global LCV chief Ashwani Gupta.

The Navara AT32 could, however, potentially provide the Navara range with a handy sales push.

Nissan Australia says it's working hard to bring the AT32 to Australia.

"We are actively working on securing the AT32 for Australia," said Nissan Australia's General Manager – Corporate Communications, Karla Leach.

"We believe it would be a popular addition to the Navara line-up for Australian customers."