Nissan X-TRAIL 2027 News

Nissan’s new local boss has outlined the direction the brand will take in the face of increasingly strict emissions regulations and changing market forces. Nissan’s Managing Director for Oceania Steve Milette says the first priority for new models won’t be to simply meet emissions targets, but to provide products that customers are asking for. The brand has just confirmed it will launch the (already expected) Nissan Navara Pro PHEV ute in 2027, there’s also a new-generation Nissan X-Trail on the way for 2027. The pressure is on for Nissan to sell more efficient cars to customers, too, as it reached the second-highest place for NVES (New Vehicle Emissions Standard) fines in 2025, an amount totalling $10,763,050. CarsGuide asked if there’s a path out of the NVES challenges facing the brand and if a refresh of the brand’s line-up is on the cards as part of that. “In terms of product introductions, yeah, yeah, for sure,” Milette told CarsGuide. “We have a pipeline, a robust pipeline.” “We can't talk about the details of those products, but all I can say is, it's going to be positive for us because the product resonates with the needs of Australians, and especially from a diversity of powertrain.  “Not just the vehicles themselves and the segments they play in, but the diversity of powertrains.” With the new X-Trail and the Navara Pro, Nissan isn’t confirming a move into any new (or previously served) segments, meaning passenger cars may still not be part of Nissan's plan. “There's some dominant segments: medium SUV, obviously. The utility market, the ute market, is huge. And traditionally, we've been, you know, we've been pretty strong at the SUV segments in general, like from smaller to to Patrol size,” Milette said. “And so I think for us, you can expect that we're going to be introducing products in the big segments that really are aligned with our history in terms of what we stand for, like very capable SUVs, very capable four by fours, innovative in terms of powertrains.  “That's where we're going.” This could point to the Nissan Terrano plug-in hybrid 4WD, and several electric and range-extender or plug-in hybrid SUVs from China, such as the NX7 and NX8. This would give Nissan an answer to the Denza B5 4WD and Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid. Nissan’s new addition to the X-Trail line-up, a more efficient front-wheel drive version of the e-Power hybrid system, could be considered a move in the right direction for its daunting NVES fines, but Milette says that wasn’t the primary reason for it. “Two-wheel-drive e-Power is a positive contributor to NVES, but its main purpose is to meet a need of the market,” Milette told CarsGuide. “I mean, 25 per cent of the sales in Australia so far this year are hybrid. Half of those are two-wheel drive, so we've only participated in half of that.  “So I think from a consumer preference, now we're in all of that segment.” “But from an NVES perspective, I think the north star is that as a brand we become self-sufficient… the portfolio that balances the negatives with the positives, if you will.” If Nissan sells more low-emission hybrids and electric cars, it will reduce the total amount of fines brought on by its ‘dirtier’ models like its Navara ute and its petrol SUVs. For reference, its second place ($10,763,050) in the 2025 list of brand fines saw it behind Mazda’s whopping $25,425,850 but well ahead of Subaru's $6,981,750. “But until we get there, we're well aware that we'll have to trade for credits, and there are published numbers. Like you saw, it was a public number in 2025.  “All I can say is that that's not the real cost.” Brands that find themselves with credits (likely through selling mostly EVs) rather than fines can agree to sell those credits to brands that have racked up fines, though Milette didn’t specify where those credits would come from. “For us, it's ‘what does the consumer want?’ We have a very powerful brand in Patrol as an example. If consumers want to buy Patrols, and they do, we're going to sell them Patrols. “No matter what the NVES impact there might be.”

A deadly 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Japan has halted production at multiple facilities across two major domestic car brands, Toyota and Nissan. As it currently stands 13 people have been killed in the earthquake and, as reported by Automotive News, production output of more than 5000 vehicles could be lost due to the facility shutdowns. One of the affected production facilities is Toyota’s Miyata assembly plant, which produces many Lexus vehicles. These include the ES sedan, as well as the UX, RX and NX SUVs. One shift was reportedly suspended at the Miyata production plant on July 28, following the earthquake. Production then restarted in the morning of July 29, but was suspended again in the afternoon. A decision was reportedly made to suspend production until July 31. "Lexus Australia is currently assessing the impact of the recent Kumamoto earthquake in Japan on production and supply of vehicles for the Australian market," said a Lexus Australia spokesperson. "While this is still an emerging issue, we can confirm that currently production for NX, UX, ES and RX has been suspended since 28 July, 2026 pending safety assessments and supplier impact. "Lexus is currently studying the impact of this suspension and in the process of developing a recovery plan." Two facilities that manufacture components for Toyota vehicles reportedly suspended production following the earthquake. This reportedly includes Aisin Kyushu, which produces suspension components for Toyota vehicles, as well as engine components and doors.   Ahrestry Corporation is also reportedly affected and it is an automotive diecast component maker. At this stage neither company has reportedly given a clear indication of when production output will resume at full capacity. Nissan partially suspended production at its Nissan Shatai Kyushu and Nissan Motor Kyushu facilities following the earthquake. The former produces the Nissan Patrol/Armada and Infiniti QX80 SUVs, as well as the Elgrand people mover. The latter, on the other hand, produces the Kicks and X-Trail SUVs, as well as the Serena people mover. “I can confirm that Nissan Motor Kyushu and Nissan Shatai Kyushu have partially suspended production this week due to earthquake-related parts supply delays,” said a Nissan Australia spokesperson. “At this stage, we have not received any information to suggest there will be any interruption to the supply of vehicles destined for Australia. However, the situation remains fluid, and we will continue to monitor developments closely.”