Nissan is struggling. Headlines documenting the Japanese automaker’s troubled outlook have been circulating for years now following ex-CEO Carlos Ghosn’s financial misconduct scandals. That may change soon, though, since Nissan Americas’ product planning boss told Automotive News Tuesday that it is working on a new EV platform that will support tariff-resistant U.S.-built crossovers, sedans, and maybe even a lightweight pickup truck.
Nissan has made its name in the modern automotive market by offering completely acceptable cars at good prices, often with discounts that make them great prices. After introducing the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle, the humble little Nissan Leaf, in the early 2010s, Nissan hasn’t innovated much in the EV space.
Currently, Nissan’s battery electric vehicle portfolio consists of two models, the ancient Leaf, and the made-in-Japan Ariya electric crossover. The Nissan Leaf in its current form was introduced seven years ago in 2018, and fails to offer a compelling or segment-competitive EV package when range, and charging capacities are considered. The Ariya electric crossover is a sleek, modern EV that should be competitive, but it’s fighting against some mighty compelling market competition from the likes of Hyundai, Tesla, Kia, and Volkswagen. The new EVs currently under development may be Nissan’s ticket to a comeback. Nissan Americas’ product planning boss Ponz Pandikuthira told Automotive News,
“The platform’s versatility and Nissan’s factory capacity in the U.S. open the door to partnership opportunities with another OEM to lower manufacturing costs.”
Crossovers and pickups are smart choices for the U.S. market
Nissan initially planned to first introduce a pair of new midsize electric sedans to replace Altima and Maxima, but thankfully realized those models wouldn’t sell well and turned its attention to crossovers. While enthusiasts prefer sedans and wagons to crossovers, the vast majority of the car buying public want the elevated seating position, security of all-wheel-drive, and spaciousness of crossovers, so this was a smart move. This platform may underpin both future Nissan and Infiniti products.
Nissan released teaser photos of some upcoming electric models that looked to include some cool products, but it says at least one of the upcoming electric crossovers should reach market by mid-2028 so there’s still some lead time there. Pandikuthira said the C-segment crossover is the ideal starting point, since it’s already a sector where the brand has strength, so the first models will likely be sized somewhere in between the current Rogue and the current Pathfinder.
Nissan is still considering an electric lifestyle pickup
Though not greenlit yet, Nissan is reportedly assessing the viability of producing a new unibody electric pickup truck that is aimed at weekend adventurers rather than the traditional pickup truck crowd. A little outdoorsy electric pickup truck that’s smaller than a Rivian R1T would be mighty cute. It wouldn’t be a Frontier replacement, though; Nissan is reportedly planning a hybridized Frontier with a lower price point than a fully electric pickup that could reach market before 2030. The fully electric pickup wouldn’t likely make it to market until 2030, but Pandikuthira said:
“There’s a growing niche of people who want an adventure vehicle but are environmentally conscious and don’t want to take a V-8 off into the woods. Do you have 100,000 of those willing to buy a Nissan electric truck? Doubtful. But that segment could grow, and we are keeping an eye on that.”
The production of these future models is currently planned to occur at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi factory, which will be a benefit if President Trump’s nonsensical tariffs last that long. Nissan is unsure of the future of its plans for electrified sedans, since it was planning to turn the Altima and Maxima into EVs, but now it’s reassessing and considering leaning on the Sentra to serve sedan buyers.
