Pathfinder leads Q4 Nissan change

Determined to make its new-generation Pathfinder a serious player in the large SUV segment, Nissan is expected to add a petrol-electric hybrid variant to its range within months of launching the petrol V6 wagon in Australia in the last quarter of 2012.

The hybrid version of the now monocoque seven-seater, which debuted at the New York auto show in March will play a key role in bolstering Australian sales of the new Pathfinder as no turbo-diesel version is currently planned.

The Pathfinder, which eschews serious off-road capability in its latest guise, is expected to be offered from November in up to three model grades and could come in both front and all-wheel drive configurations.

Nissan has high hopes it will pose a serious threat to class heavyweights such as the petrol-only Toyota Kluger and the petrol and diesel Ford Territory. That means you can expect pricing that starts in the high $30,000s and heads into the $60,000s.

In the USA the hybrid version, which features a supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine, will be sold at a US$3000 premium compared to the petrol V6, but what it commands here is as yet unknown.

At this stage Nissan Australia is only saying the hybrid is under consideration, but motoring.com.au’s understanding is that the vehicle has been green-lighted.

The Pathfinder V6 will arrive in Australia shortly before the much anticipated Altima mid-size sedan, which has been previewed in Australia by the Nissan Motorsport V8 Supercars.

In the lead up to this weekend’s inaugural US V8 Supercars race in Austin, Texas, team owners Todd and Rick Kelly along with fellow Nissan Motorsport driver Michael Caruso toured the Smyrna Tennessee factory yesterday, where both the Altima and Pathfinder are built.

But while the massive plant with its 550,000 annual capacity will build the Pathfinder for Australia – and maybe the first US-sourced Nissan/Datsun to come here - it seems speculation that our Altima will be sourced from Asia is spot on.

While again Nissan Australia isn’t saying anything and Nissan execs at Smyrna remained tight-lipped when questioned by motoring.com.au, Thailand is firming as the production source, alongside the Pulsar sedan (and hatch when it launches in July).

Details remain scarce about Nissan Australia’s plans for the Altima, but it is expected to be offered in as many as three grades and with the choice of 2.5-litre four-cylinder and 3.5-litre V6 engine choices.

Logical competition includes the locally built Toyota Camry/Aurion double act, the Mazda6 and, to a lesser degree, Australia’s homegrown rear-wheel drive Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon.

That suggests a price range starting in the high $20,000s and potentially stretching into the high $40,000s bracket.

The Pathfinder V6 has already been tested by motoring.com.au’s Gautam Sharma in the Middle East and he has sampled the Altima as well.

However the Pathfinder hybrid has yet to be tested, although the performance and economy figures stack up well, especially the 9.0L/00km fuel consumption claim, which delivers a theoretical 846km range.

While the arrival of the Pathfinder and then the Altima within weeks make the last quarter an incredibly busy period for Nissan, it must also be able to cope with the arrival of the Nissan Juke around the same time.

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