Next-gen Nissan Navara takes shape: New dual-cab ute details reveal tough rival to the 2025 Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6 and Toyota HiLux

Nissan is urgently cooking up its vital new Navara dual-cab ute.

The rugged new workhorse hasn’t been revealed yet but we’ve followed the breadcrumbs laid out by the Japanese brand and it’s starting to take shape via our digital render.

Nissan threw out a red herring a few weeks back at the Shanghai motor show with its Frontier Pro mid-size ute reveal, but that vehicle won’t be the new Navara, according to previous information delivered by the brand.

We know the new Navara will be based on the current Mitsubishi Triton and will come with diesel and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power.

Nissan global executive, Guillaume Cartier, told CarsGuide last year that it would lean into its strategic alliance to lower development costs and shortcut production timings.

He confirmed it would have diesel grunt but would add petrol plug-in hybrid power during its lifecycle and then go fully electric once the brand's solid state battery ambitions were realised.

This tie-up with alliance partner Mitsubishi could result in a 2.5-litre petrol engine paired with a pair of electric motors and a circa-23kWh battery to deliver more grunt than any Navara ahead of it, while slashing fuel use to about 2.0L/100km and pushing EV-only driving range close to 100km. It will need to if it is a hope of unseating the BYD Shark 6 and incoming Ford Ranger PHEV.

Diesel power is likely to come from Mitsubishi’s bi-turbo 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine that delivers 150kW and 470Nm. It can carry a one-tonne payload and tow up to 3500kg.

The Frontier Pro revealed in China the past month is a result of the company’s Chinese joint venture with Dongfeng, dubbed Zhengzhou Nissan.

It uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and transmission-mounted electric motor as the Frontier Pro. This set-up produces a whopping 300kW and 800Nm sent to all four wheels, which are eye-popping numbers by diesel ute standards.

Built in China, this ute is expected to be for export markets, but is unlikely to replace the Navara. It might form a one-two punch in the brand’s ute line-up in the future, though.

Digital artist Thanos Pappas has applied his craft to give us a vision of what that ute could look like. A shadow teaser image gave us the silhouette and he’s filled in the blanks.

It’s a big blocky ute with flared wheel arches holding rugged all terrain tyres.

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A three-tier lighting signature adds some futuristic pop to the ute, as does a glowing Nissan logo. 

Rugged underbody cladding and side steps show its capabilities. 

Nissan has previously announced the new “one-ton pick-up” is due in FY26, which for Japanese companies runs from April 2026 to March 27.