Warrior could be top-selling Nissan Patrol

Initial planned build rates for the new Nissan Patrol Warrior suggest it could outstrip the standard Ti and Ti-L variants of the Y62 Patrol for sales popularity despite being more expensive.

The locally-modified V8 off-roader is also expected to play a key role in driving Y62 Patrol sales to new record levels.

After its introduction was slowed by years due to COVID complications and a shortage of Y62 Patrol supply, the Warrior is now being released at $101,160 plus on-road costs, compared to $84,900 for the Ti on which it’s based and $97,600 for the more luxurious Ti-L.

According to Nissan Australia managing director Adam Paterson, between 12 and 18 Warriors are expected to be built per day by development and assembly partner Premcar on a single shift.

That equates to an annual build rate of between about 3000 and 4500 Warriors.

The current Patrol sales mix is about 50 per cent Ti and 50 per cent Ti-L. Nissan says the Warrior will bite into both, as well as attract additional customers.

“The overall Patrol volume will grow,” predicted Paterson.

But apart from confirming the Warrior assembly line’s capability, Paterson was reluctant to make concrete sales predictions.

“We’re not sharing that [Warrior sales forecast]. We build the whole program to cover the investment off the top based on the volume.

“I would say that’s the floor not the ceiling.”

In 2023, the total Y62 Patrol range is expected to set a record somewhere around 7000 sales.

In August and September, more than 1000 Patrols were sold each month. September was the biggest number ever for Y62 and the biggest monthly sales for the Patrol badge since June 2004.

The vast bulk of 2023 Patrol sales will be Ti and Ti-L and many of those will be long-term back-orders that are now being filled as supply from Japan frees up post-COVID.

However, Paterson was clear that the Patrol has significant ongoing new-order interest as well as back-orders bolstering its sales numbers.

“We will see substantial growth over last year that finished at [5724 sales].”

The Patrol is the most complex and ambitious Warrior program yet attempted, primarily because of Premcar’s retuning of the Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) damper system.

All up, there are over 500 parts in the bill of materials for the Patrol Warrior.

It is assembled alongside the Navara Warrior ute in a new factory 800 metres from the original site at Epping in Melbourne’s north. The original factory is now devoted to Premcar’s new TerraGlide caravan suspension.

Each Warrior takes 1.5 days to build, proceeding through nine different stations on the line, with seven supporting sub-stations. There are 27 staff currently working on the line, but that headcount is expanding.

Parts fitted on the line include fender flares, revised front and rear bumpers, Warrior badging, interior console, dash spears, door trims, towbar, exhaust system, bi-modal ECU, exhaust outlet and bracket, five alloy wheels and tyres, revised HBMC system, four springs, rear jounce bumpers, tyre placard, bash plate, decals, grille and mirror scalps.

Warrior parts are sourced from suppliers based in Australia, Japan, Thailand and China.

Premcar chief Bernie Quinn said the Patrol Warrior program recycles 100 per cent of parts that came off the donor vehicle. This is in contrast to the Ford/RMA F-150 local conversion program, which has a significant waste issue it is attempting to address.

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