Less than a day after Nissan President and CEO Ivan Espinosa told The Drive that “Nissan is back” the automaker is preparing to put its money where its mouth is.
On Wednesday, in Las Vegas at the automaker’s North American Automotive Dealer Show (NADA) meeting Automotive News reported that dealers were shown the new Xterra, and a family of body-on-frame vehicles were confirmed alongside the revived off-roader.
The Xterra, which is said to be arriving in the second half of 2028, will be followed by an Infiniti variant, new body-on-frame Pathfinder, Frontier pickup, and Infiniti QX60.
All five vehicles will share a new body-on-frame platform, be built in the U.S. to avoid tariffs and lower costs, and the Xterra’s already been confirmed to have an electrified powertrain. The Frontier and other models are expected to offer an electrified powertrain as well.
The Drive exclusively reported in November that the new Xterra will cost less than $40,000 and be available in yellow. A 2-speed transfer case with 4Lo is confirmed.
Scott Smith, president of Smith Automotive Group near Atlanta, told Automotive News the new Xterra is “radical looking” and that it is beefy, features a muscular grille, and no-frills rugged focus.
Charlie Hicks, CEO of Hicks Automotive Group in Texas, told Automotive News the Xterra carries DNA of the original with a modern twist while stating, “there’s an aggression to it.”
The Xterra shown above was a custom build by Nick Scherr, aka “NISMO Nick,” for the 2025 SEMA show. While a mashup of today’s Frontier pickup and an old Xterra, it gives a clear indicator of what a Nissan-badged Toyota 4Runner killer could look like.
The Xterra will be a two-row SUV. Today’s Pathfinder and QX60 are both three-row SUVs that feature unibody construction that differentiates them from the three-row body-on-frame Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX80. It’s unclear if the new body-on-frame Pathfinder and QX60 will feature two or three rows of seating and how they will be differentiated from today’s full-size SUVs in dealers.
The new Frontier is expected to be similar in size to today’s truck, though the rear seat might feature more space, better packaging, and deliver a more comfortable cabin.
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