Nissan's tough 4WD assault! Toyota LandCruiser Prado and Ford Everest rivals incoming with Y63 Patrol just the beginning of 'comprehensive body-on-frame product strategy'

Nissan will develop a fleet of new ladder-frame SUVs to take on everything from the Ford Everest to the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, according to new reports out of the USA.

In fact, the brand is working on a plan that will use an American factory to tap into the tough off-roader market, according to US site Automotive News.

According to the site, the brand will manufacture two "flagship" SUVs in the USA rather than Japan – presumably the Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX80 – but will also develop two new ute-based SUVs.

Ute-based means they will use a ladder-frame chassis as an underpinning, much like the Ford Everest and Toyota LandCruiser Prado.

One vehicle is suggested to be the SUV version of the recently revealed Nissan Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid ute, which was revealed at the 2025 Shanghai Motor Show in April.

That plug-in powerhouse develops a substantial 300kW and 800Nm from its 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and a single electric motor.

The second model remains something of a mystery, but is expected to be another ladder-frame SUV, powered by either Nissan's e-Power hybrid tech, or a PHEV system. It would potentially sit above the Frontier-Navara-based model, giving the brand three models that step from, in Toyota parlance, Fortuner, Prado and LC300.

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While Nissan is yet to officially confirm the plans, a person with knowledge of the plan told Automotive News that the brands is developing a “comprehensive body-on-frame product strategy” for the US plant.

Further, a Nissan representative told the site that it is “actively exploring” ways to develop body-on-frame vehicles.

The news fits neatly with the word earlier this year that the Xterra is at the top of the brand's product wish list, with one of the brand's most senior executives pushing for a "functional and affordable" ute-based SUV that would take on the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

Chairman of Nissan Americas, Christian Meunier, said he recognised buyers want "a return to authenticity and simplicity, not having all the gizmos and gadgets" in a ute-based SUV.

Asked what white space Nissan has in its American lineup, the executive told Automotive News that "if I could bring a car tomorrow, it would be the Xterra", referencing the Navara-based SUV that was discontinued in 2015 before being reborn in the Middle East in 2021.

"This is a white space because many competitors target the higher end of the adventure market. People desire a sense of freedom," he said.

"There‘s a return to authenticity and simplicity, not having all the gizmos and gadgets. People want a comfortable, functional and affordable vehicle."