Heaps of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and a new range-extender ute to take on the 2025 BYD Shark 6 and Toyota RAV4: Nissan details fight-back plan against Toyota, Mazda and its cheaper Chinese rivals

Nissan USA has detailed its bold fightback plan that it hopes will take it from its current precarious global position to a giant of the auto space, with hybrids, plug-in hybrids and even the possibility of a range-extender ute all forming part of the new-model wish list.

The plan was detailed by the brand's new chairman of Nissan Americas, Christian Meunier, who told US outlet Automotive News that an electrified revolution – including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and Nissan's e-Power tech – would help reinvent the brand's product offering.

At the same time, the executive poured cold water on an immediate all-EV future, suggesting that electric vehicle take up will take longer than first thought.

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"The electric powertrain will offer greater range at a lower cost. However, it will take longer than we expected. Three or four years ago, everyone said that by 2027, we’d witness a revolution with battery prices falling so low that electric cars would match ICE prices," Mr Meunier said.

"That is not the case. Regulators must adjust the ramp-up of EV regulation (in the USA) since the infrastructure is lacking and customer demand is absent. It is challenging for automakers to achieve profitability on EVs while customers struggle to afford them, resulting in a small-volume constraint.

"Consumer adoption will influence the pace of Nissan’s EV rollout. With current technology, EVs do not accommodate the needs of everyone. We must acknowledge that. We need to persist with EVs, but it’s crucial to offer other options — HEV and PHEV – so we can maintain flexibility. We have a product plan."

Part of that product plan includes a focus on the brand's range-extender technology, with Mr Meunier suggesting the Frontier (America's Nissan Navara-sized ute) is a prime candidate, though no such model is yet confirmed.

2025 Nissan Frontier Pro

Also surely on the agenda is the just-revealed-in-China Frontier Pro, the brand's new and world-bound plug-in hybrid ute that parts a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-pot engine with a gearbox-mounted electric motor for a total 800Nm of torque.

"A series hybrid Frontier, equipped with a range-extender battery, could make sense for the US," he said. "For the heavier D- and E-segment models, hybrid technology with a range extender is the future."

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