Nissan Navara Pro PHEV ute confirmed with 800Nm

Nissan has finally pulled the covers off its answer to the BYD Shark 6, and it’s not messing about.

With extensive local testing already under its belt – and more to come – the all-new Navara Pro PHEV will hit Aussie showrooms in 2027 with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol plug-in hybrid good for a preliminary 300kW and 800Nm.

It also gets a proper eight-speed auto with low-range crawl mode, mechanical 4x4, a rear diff lock and a claimed 3500kg braked towing capacity.

It’s Nissan’s first electrified ute and Nissan Australia’s first plug-in hybrid, full stop. Australia and New Zealand will be the first right-hand-drive markets in the world to get it.

The Navara Pro PHEV – dubbed the Frontier Pro PHEV in China – launched overseas with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol plug-in system, but Nissan Australia evaluated that against a new 2.0-litre turbo-petrol PHEV and picked the bigger donk for Oceania, citing towing, payload and sustained performance.

That 2.0-litre engine works with a single high-output electric motor housed inside an eight-speed automatic. That’s a very different recipe to the Shark 6 Premium (321kW/650Nm), which runs a 1.5-litre engine, two e-motors and a single-speed reduction gear with no mechanical link between the axles.

Nissan says the multi-ratio gearbox delivers low-range crawling for the rough stuff and high-range low-rpm cruising on the highway.

The local Nissan team has also tested and validated front, rear and combined mechanical diff-lock configurations, with four drive modes (ECO, Standard, Sport and Slippery) and seven terrain modes (Standard, Deep Snow, Mud, Sand, Rock, Wading and Expert).

Five development and prototype vehicles have racked up more than 20,000km on Australian roads so far, and testing is still under way.

But it’s what Nissan hasn't told us is just as interesting: no price, no battery size, no EV range and no final call on leaf or coil rear suspension.

All of that lands closer to launch in 2027.

Inside, Nissan is talking up a ‘premium brief’ with a large central touchscreen, digital instrument cluster, panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats and extensive soundproofing available depending on grade.

Vehicle-to-load (V2L) is also on the list, while three LED strips above the grille nod to the three-slot bonnet of the 1980s D21 Hardbody.

Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette reckons the new ute is more than a box-ticking exercise

“This isn’t a work ute with some tech bolted in – the all-new Navara Pro PHEV has been built from the outset for buyers who expect a premium experience, whether they’re on the highway or on an outback track.

“Australia wasn’t simply where we tested Navara Pro PHEV. It was one of the markets helping shape it.

“The depth of local evaluation and the collaboration between our teams in Australia, Japan and China reflect the importance of Oceania to the development of this vehicle,” said Milette. 

“We have put the vehicle through thousands of kilometres of real Australian conditions because we know what customers here expect from a ute. The result is a Navara Pro PHEV specification developed specifically to deliver electrification without compromising the capability that defines the segment.” 

Now, the elephant in the tub. Nissan is saying this will be a capable rig and is quoting approximately 1000kg of payload. But that figure – like the 3500kg tow rating and the 300kW/800Nm outputs – carries the caveat “subject to final homologation”. 

Chery has already shown how that can play out.

The Stockman diesel PHEV ute was touted with a one-tonne payload, but once Chery published its kerb mass (2735kg) and GVM (3500kg), the real number landed at 765kg.

That’s a 235kg haircut, and it put the Stockman below a HiLux SR5 (970kg).

Will the same happen here? Batteries are heavy and Nissan is yet to reveal how big the Navara Pro’s pack is. It also hasn’t decided between leaf springs and multi-link coils out back, with the final rear-suspension call coming closer to launch.

That decision will go a long way to setting the final payload number. Plenty of tradies simply won’t sign for a ute that can’t carry a tonne.

For context, the Shark 6 Premium is rated at 790kg and it’s selling strongly, the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV at 685kg and the Ford Ranger PHEV at up to 805kg in Wildtrak trim.

Nissan needs this ute to land.

September 2026 VFACTS data shows Nissan is down 33.3 per cent year-to-date to 19,212 sales, while combined Navara 4x4 and 4x2 sales have dropped 48.1% to just 3227.

Over the same period the Shark 6 has found 13,586 homes – roughly four for every Navara – while the HiLux 4x4 sits on 32,238 and the Ranger 4x4 on 35,744.

Diesel still owns the light-commercial market, too, accounting for 155,040 of 184,328 sales (84.1%) so far this year, while plug-in hybrid light commercials are up 10.7% to 17,275.

Pricing, final specs, battery size, EV-only range and the rear-suspension set-up will all be confirmed closer to the Navara Pro PHEV’s arrival in 2027, and that’s where the fight will be won or lost.

The plug-in ute price war is already well under way. The JAC Hunter PHEV opens at $49,888 plus on-road costs (ORCs) with a claimed 360kW/1010Nm, the Shark 6 starts at $57,900, the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV kicks off at $61,490 and the Ford Ranger PHEV starts at $61,000 plus ORCs.

On paper, Nissan has built a ute that beats the Shark 6 on gearing, diff locks and claimed towing.

If the payload survives homologation and the price starts with a five, the Navara could be back in the fight.

How much do the Nissan Navara Pro PHEV’s plug-in rivals cost?
JAC Hunter Pro PHEV – $49,888
JAC Hunter X PHEV – $54,844
BYD Shark 6 Premium – $57,900
BYD Shark 6 Performance – $62,900?
Ford Ranger PHEV XL – $61,000
Ford Ranger PHEV Sport – $68,000
Ford Ranger PHEV Wildtrak – $72,000
GWM Cannon Alpha Lux PHEV – $61,490
GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV – $67,990? Nissan Navara Pro PHEV – TBA
*Prices exclude on-road costs?

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