Good news for Nissan Patrol buyers! Better Australian supply promised for the Toyota LandCruiser 300 rival from early in the new year as production finally ramps up

Nissan has confirmed that it has secured a greater supply of its popular Patrol for Australia from early next year, whittling down the waiting time at last for the ageing Toyota LandCruiser rival.

With semi-conductor and other COVID-related issues from suppliers halting production throughout this year, the good news for buyers of the large four-wheel-drive wagon is that a large number of vehicles are heading to Australia from Japan in early 2022 to help shorten lengthy waiting lists.

According to Nissan Australia managing director, Adam Paterson, the company has finally turned on the taps starting this month, which all but guarantees the shipment of more Patrols for this market.

“We’re on track for a fantastic Patrol year. (But) our biggest challenge has been securing supply,” he said.

“December will be one of our best months of production for Patrol bound for the Australian market and that’s really encouraging.

“And in quarter one (January, February and March, 2022) our production volume is also set to improve as well over what we’ve seen.

“That’s been our first priority for us, securing as much Patrol production to meet customer demand for now.”

So, how lengthy have the delays been?

In some cases, waiting lists of between six to 12 months have been reported by some frustrated buyers. However, back in October, Nissan Australia stated that delivery times had settled to “… around two to three months from order” after a turbulent year.

It is no shock to learn that the delays are the result of the perfect storm that has seen increased demand at a time of volatile supply, affecting the entire automobile industry worldwide.

In Australia, Patrol sales to the end of October are up almost 60 per cent year-on-year, from 2044 to 3260 units, making 2021 the best year yet for the current Y62 series, which launched locally back in early 2013 (but internationally three years earlier).

There have been a few modifications over the years since the big Nissan’s release to kick it along, first during 2014 and then a more substantial facelift arriving in late 2019 – just in time to reignite consumer interest as demand for recreational vehicles worldwide escalated, fuelled by closed international borders.

Of course, the Patrol’s success this year still pales against its long-time LandCruiser foe’s sales figures, which is currently running at 13,380 registrations to the end of October in Australia.

This number is up some 24 per cent compared to the same time in 2020, despite the Toyota’s transition from 200 series to 300 series a few months back, which has also seen substantial price jumps in the region of $10,000 depending on grade.

The LandCruiser is also expected to pull away even further from the Nissan once 300 production steps up and greater supply comes on stream, to help satiate already lengthy waiting lists.

However, don’t be surprised if more hold ups happen over the coming weeks and months, as the pandemic remains a very real threat around the world.