Patrol EV? Why the 2025 Nissan Patrol won't die with internal combustion engines! How the Toyota LandCruiser 300 rival could live on with electric power

The next-generation Nissan Patrol is getting set to launch in the next 12 months, but the brand has already given us a glimpse into its future beyond that.

Speaking at the 2024 New York Motor Show, Nissan’s Senior Vice President for Global Design, Alfonso Albaisa, told Australia media that the Patrol will live on in the electric age - if it comes to that.

While the upcoming Patrol will introduce a new 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine under the bonnet, replacing the ageing 5.8-litre V8, Albaisa made it clear that petrol engines are not the defining trait of the Patrol.

“I don't like to think that there's a limit. Patrol doesn't die because of powertrains,” he said. 

While Albaisa was quick to note the importance of electric vehicles, especially within Nissan, he made it clear that the Patrol is an iconic model that continues to attract buyers around the world, even as the current Y62 model approaches its 15th year in production.

“I’m not minimising EV,” Albaisa explained. “I'm just saying Patrol is a cultural thing, which is much more important than how it moves. It's literally like, it's our oldest name, but not only that, there's a lot of cars that have old names that died. But this one is, the Patrol is one of our most profitable and successful. If we had more capacity in our plant, we could probably sell much more of them.”

In fact, Albaisa said the introduction of the 2019 facelifted model was a bigger success that Nissan anticipated, highlighting the enduring appeal of the Patrol name.

“You know, they do have an interesting way of surviving,” he said. “Because we did a big refresh on the Patrol and the QX80, that normally when you do refreshes, it just slows down the natural decline. But on the Patrol it took off, it started selling more than the previous one.”

Nissan has indicated the new Y63 Patrol will launch before March 2025, with the new twin-turbo V6 offering 336kW and 698Nm; a step up from the outgoing V8’s 298kW/650Nm.

The launch of the Infiniti QX80 at the New York Motor Show gave us a preview of what to expect with the new Patrol, with the two shared models still cutting an imposing figure in terms of size and its bold, chunky lines.

Albaisa made it clear that the new Patrol will be a contemporary model in terms of its looks, and although it will have some family similarities to previous generations, he ruled out a retro creation.