2027 Nissan NX7 could be cut-price Ariya replacement and new BYD Sealion 7 rival as Japanese brand doubles down on Chinese joint-venture

Nissan has teased yet another Chinese-built SUV as part of its tie-up with Dongfeng, which could serve as a cut-price replacement for the Ariya.

Dubbed the NX7, Nissan shared a single teaser image of the new model on its Chinese social media channels ahead of its reveal.

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While no details of the car are available yet, the shadowy teaser shows a car with similar design traits to the NX8, with split light clusters, a filled-in front panel and an illuminated Nissan badge. Its lower light fittings are distinct from the strip-style lights featured in the NX8’s design, while traditional wing mirrors and a Lidar cluster on the roof also feature.

If it follows in the footsteps of the NX8, expect the NX7 to be offered with both a purely electric (EV) and range-extender (REEV) hybrid option.

NX7 builds on success of Nissan-Dongfeng joint-venture

The NX7 will build on the success of Nissan’s Dongfeng joint venture, which has thus far produced the Frontier Pro PHEV ute as a BYD Shark 6 rival (expected to be called the Navara Pro in Australia), as well as the N6 and N7 sedans, which join the NX8 as important wins for Nissan as it experiences a shrinking footprint elsewhere in the world.

While the company had a head start in the electrification space with the pioneering Leaf hatchback, it has struggled to remain competitive since the rise of Tesla and cut-price Chinese alternatives.

To that end, under the leadership of relatively new CEO Ivan Espinosa, Nissan has stated it will lean more heavily into its successful Chinese joint venture to leverage ‘China Speed’ product development for the global market.

The NX7 is the next in what the company said will be 10 new Chinese models to be revealed by 2027. To our count, the brand is up to five new models, or seven if you include the recently updated combustion models from the joint venture, the Teana sedan and Pathfinder large SUV.

Will the Nissan NX7 come to Australia? What would its rivals be?

Locally, the NX7 could be more price competitive than the car which Nissan already offers in this mid-size space, the Ariya.

Starting from $55,840, before on-roads, the Ariya goes head-to-head with the Tesla Model Y (from $58,900), BYD Sealion 7 (from $54,990) and Toyota bZ4X (from $55,990), although all of those rivals offer a longer driving range in their most basic forms.

This leaves Nissan without a car to compete at the entry level of the mid-size SUV space, with the likes of the Geely EX5, GAC Aion V, and Leapmotor C10, all from the mid-$40k mark.

It would also open the door to Nissan offering a REEV model to compete with the likes of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and BYD Sealion 6 at a competitive price.

Nissan has been approached for comment on the new model’s chances for an Australian launch. While the company has alluded to exporting the Frontier Pro PHEV and NX8 to Australia in the past, it is yet to confirm timing for the models.