Current Nissan Navara will remain alongside next generation

With the debut of the all-new Navara confirmed before the end of 2025, Nissan has indicated it will adopt a two-product market approach that will see the current D23 remain in production even after the new generation’s arrival.

‘Evolved’ D23

In setting out its restructuring plans at the end of last month, the carmaker stated that while the Oceania region will get a new “one-ton pick-up leveraging off of Nissan’s partnership with Mitsubishi Motors”, the Latin American region will make do with an “evolved” version of the D23 known in certain markets as the Frontier.

Completely different from the Frontier sold in North America, Nissan’s official wording states that the Latin American version will also have “enhanced infotainment and an impressive suite of advanced driver assist technologies” when it makes its premiere in 2026.

ALSO READ: ‘Not simply a rebadged’ Triton new Nissan Navara debuting in 2025

Teasing the newcomer in a single image, the depiction shows a more rounded bonnet, the grille from the new Patrol, a split LED headlight design, a red Nissan badge taken from the current Navara Pro-4X and a rectangular lower air intake derived from the Patrol.

Mitsubishi-based new generation

At the other end of the scale, the all-new Navara remains under wraps as Nissan’s statement only confirms it for 2026 with the mentioned reliance on Mitsubishi.

This, however, refers to the start of sales and not the actual showing that will happen near the end of this year as mentioned.

Reported in 2019 to use Mitsubishi’s platform as part of the alliance’s “leader-follow” strategy, the Navara will reportedly have a “distinct Nissan feel” to it instead of simply being a rebadged Triton.

This, according to the marque’s Managing Director for the Oceania region, Andrew Humberstone, who told drive.com.au in February, “we are making sure that it’s very much a Nissan. So we’ll be making a number of changes to make sure that that’s the case”.

“We’re going to make a lot of changes to the product to make sure it’s in line with Nissan’s expectations. We have a relationship [with Mitsubishi], but that relationship could be effectively with any supplier.”

In addition to the same platform as the Triton, the Navara will take leave of the current 2.3-litre and 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine in favour of Mitsubishi’s 2.4-litre 4N16 that produces 110kW/330Nm and 150kW/470Nm depending on the number of turbochargers.

Also gone will be D23’s controversial coil spring rear suspension replaced with a conventional leaf spring setup former Nissan Senior Vice-President and Chief Planning Officer for the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania region, Francois Bailly, admitted last year had been a mistake.

“If you go back to the launch of the Navara [in 2014], there were a lot of sagging questions. You would load the car and there would be a noticeable difference between the front and the rear. Clearly, we will not repeat this mistake,” Bailly told drive.com.au.

What about South Africa?

The two-pronged approach has, however, not been commented on by Nissan South Africa, whose expanded product portfolio for 2026 will include the Patrol and a five-seat SUV likely to be the rebadged version of the Renault Duster that will be assembled in India as the indirect replacement for the Qashqai.

While a second SUV, supposedly modelled on the Dacia Bigster and also made in India from next year, has been approved for the local market as well, the future of the Navara remains unknown.

As it stands, production of the 11-year old D23 continues for South Africa and Sub-Saharan African markets at the Rosslyn Plant outside Pretoria, with no word yet on whether the all-new generation or the “evolved” version will be marketed come the end of 2025.

Officially the second oldest bakkie on-sale in South Africa after the Mahindra Pik Up that debuted 19 years ago, the D23 Navara received its last major facelift in 2021, which saw production move to Rosslyn from Thailand, and the YS23 2.3-litre twin-turbodiesel replaced by single turbo YD25DDTI 2.5-litre unit that did duty in the previous D40 generation as a means of reducing complexity in mainly sub-Saharan African markets.

Its line-up updated since then to accommodate single cabs and the Pro-4X Warrior’s developed by Australian firm Premcar, its future outlook remains a mystery and as mentioned, will most likely only become a topic of importance once the all-new Navara makes its debut at the end of 2025.

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