Originally a compact-sized pickup, the Navara entered the mid-size truck segment in 2004 with the D40. Joined at the hip with the Frontier for the US market, the Navara was updated yet again in 2014.
Referred to as D23, the current generation also spawned a Mercedes-branded twin dubbed X-Class. Poor sales led to the Merc's demise, which shouldn't come as a surprise. In addition to the high starting price and second-rate interior plastic trim, the X was – for some reason or another – never sold stateside.
Even the Navara struggled, with sales contracting so much in the European Union and United Kingdom that Nissan decided to cancel this fellow. The Nissan Motor Iberica plant in Spain produced the final example of the breed in late 2021, and the Navara soldiers on in markets such as Mexico, Argentina, and China.
Nissan is a huge automaker with plenty of cash to its name. But rather than developing a new and much-improved Navara, the Japanese company will save money in the most obvious of ways. With Nissan calling the shots at Mitsubishi, one can imagine an L200/Triton with Nissan styling cues.
Pixel artist Theottle went even further by rendering the next-generation Navara with L200/Triton underpinnings and the Interstar's headlights. Redesigned for 2024, the Interstar also happens to be a badge-engineered product, for it shares its diesel and electric powertrains with the Renault Master.
Photo: Theottle on YouTube
A few years ago, former Nissan chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn made it clear that Mitsubishi's next-generation midsizer would share its platform with the Navara. The sixth-generation L200/Triton rolled out in July 2023 in three body styles, with production handled by the Mitsubishi Motors Thailand assembly plant.
Regarding the fourth-generation Navara, we're looking forward to its debut in the second half of 2024 for the 2025 model year. Word on the street is that hybridized powertrains may be in the offing, including a PHEV à la the Ford Ranger PHEV. Not meant for the United States market, the plug-in hybrid truck features the 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-pot and promises an electric range of 45 kilometers (28 miles).
The 2025 Nissan Navara could very well use the Mitsubishi pickup truck's 4N16 turbo diesel, which comes in either single- or twin-turbo flavors. Transmission choices include a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic. Alternatively, Nissan could continue using the current gen's YS23 mill.
Regardless of how it will actually look, the rumor mill suggests that Nissan won't reintroduce the Navara to the European market. Considering that truck registrations were up 16.3 percent in 2023 as opposed to 2022 in the European Union, it would be foolish to keep the all-new Navara out of Europe. Even so, remember that the van is Europe's workhorse as opposed to the full-size pickup truck in the US of A.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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