Nissan Pathfinder on thin ice 

Is the Nissan Pathfinder about to become a casualty of US tariffs? 

The next-generation Pathfinder’s future in Australia is looking increasingly uncertain, with the Japanese brand’s local chief revealing the popular seven- and eight-seater SUV’s future is under review. 

Nissan Oceania’s Managing Director, Andrew Humberstone, was speaking candidly about the challenges facing imported vehicles and said the company was monitoring the Pathfinder very closely. 

“The challenge we have at the moment is around FX [foreign exchange rates] and tariffs with the US. So we have to monitor very carefully at the moment.” 

The Pathfinder, which is manufactured in Tennessee and imported to Australia, has become caught in a perfect storm of currency fluctuations and trade complications that are making it increasingly difficult to sell profitably. 

The petrol V6-powered Nissan Pathfinder is currently priced between around $60,000 and $82,000 in Australia, offered in 2WD and 4WD guises across seven- or eight-seat configurations. 

Asked directly whether the Pathfinder might become a casualty in future, the Nissan Oceania boss didn’t sugar-coat his words. 

“I think in any business, if you’ve got products that are not making money then you have to look at that as an option,” he acknowledged. “It’s not our preferred direction.” 

In the first four months of 2025, a total of 279 Nissan Pathfinder family SUVs have been sold, which is up slightly across the same period in 2024 (244 units). 

Compare that to large SUV segment leaders like the Ford Everest and Toyota Prado, which sold over 7000 and 10,000 units respectively, and things start to look bleak. 

Along with slow sales last year, the Australian dollar’s weakness against the US greenback and ongoing tariff pressures, what was once a viable business case is now under significant strain. 

When pressed about whether the family hauler might disappear from Australian showrooms entirely if conditions don’t improve, Humberstone was honest about the commercial realities facing car manufacturers in today’s challenging environment. 

“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “We just have to see where it goes. The FX is not helping us and certainly the tariffs are not helping us.” 

The admission puts the Pathfinder in a precarious position, particularly as Nissan continues to rationalise its global portfolio, close factories globally and focus resources on models that can deliver sustainable profits. 

“You know, my wife drives one of them – I think it’s a great vehicle,” said Humberstone of the Nissan Pathfinder. “Absolutely love it, but it has to make commercial sense.”