Nissan’s Next SUV May Finally Give 4Runner A Reason To Worry

Rumors have been swirling about an Xterra revival for years, and now it’s official

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Nissan is in need of fresh, attention-grabbing models to help turn its fortunes around. The company’s financial situation remains delicate, but it has committed to rolling out several new vehicles in the coming years. Among them is a full revival of the Xterra, a rugged SUV that has been absent from the lineup since 2015.

At a recent national dealer meeting in Las Vegas, attended by roughly 2,500 people, Nissan executive Ivan Espinosa confirmed that the new Xterra will launch in 2028. Like its predecessor, it is being designed as an affordable, rugged midsize SUV.

Back To A Proven Formula

Dealers who attended the event noted that while no technical specifications were revealed, Nissan did share a teaser image. The preview showed the next-generation Xterra with a tall, upright grille and distinctly square headlights.

Read: Xterra’s Return May Trigger A Whole New Wave Of Rugged Nissan SUVs

According to the same sources who spoke with Auto News, the upcoming Xterra will ride on a body-on-frame platform. This architecture is expected to also underpin the redesigned Frontier and form the basis for updated versions of the Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60.

Dealers are confident the new model can be a success, thanks to strong demand for vehicles like the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, and Toyota Land Cruiser. “These are vehicles that every dealer is selling and making good money on,” one dealer said.

Hybrid Power On The Horizon

Nissan is expected to offer the new Xterra with a range-extender V6 engine and a battery pack large enough to give it up to 75 miles (121 km) of all-electric range. It’ll be built at the brand’s plant in Canton, Mississippi.

Expanding The Lineup

Nissan’s product plans extend well beyond the Xterra. At the same event, the company revealed that development has started on a fourth-generation Rogue, slated for release in 2027. The SUV was previewed during the dealer meeting and is said to feature a reshaped V-shaped grille and a full-width light bar across the rear. It will debut with the third generation of Nissan’s e-Power system and will also serve as the basis for a new Infiniti model, badged as the QX50.

New iterations of the Nissan Sentra and Infiniti Q50 are also in the works. The first of these could arrive as early as next year.

“We are laser-focused on product [and] we are just getting started,” Nissan Americas chairman Christian Meunier said. “We have done a better job of planning, making sure the right cars are in the right place.”