Nissan Might Transform the Plug-In Hybrid Frontier into an SUV

It would be a body-on-frame SUV distinct from the revived Xterra.

One could safely state that Nissan astonished everyone during the Auto Shanghai 2025 exhibition when they presented the Frontier Pro. Although this model shares its moniker with the Frontier Pro-X available in the U.S., it isn’t connected to that vehicle. Rather, it has strong ties to the Nissan Dongfeng Z9, designed specifically for the Chinese market.

This represents two milestones for Nissan: introducing an electric pickup truck and offering a plug-in hybrid in the traditional sense—e-Power vehicles are actually battery-electric cars equipped with extended-range gasoline engines. Although Nissan has been discussing this reviving the Xterra With both gas and electric powertrains, a distinct type of body-on-frame SUV might be on the horizon. The development engineer for the Frontier Pro suggested the possibility of transforming this pickup truck into an SUV.

Photo by: Nissan

Talking to Australian media outlets, including Drive Ikuo Miyai stated: “Certainly, you can view the prototype here. However, the current design is quite... well-established. There’s potential for us to create additional versions such as a regular-wheelbase model or perhaps even an SUV. Our decision hinges upon assessing market demands along with evaluating our financial commitments. Should opportunities arise, naturally, we would initiate development work. All these aspects are currently being evaluated.”

The off-road driver would compete against theصند Ford Everest , basically an SUV variant of the Ranger that isn’t available in the U.S., where Ford probably believes it might eat into Bronco and/or Explorer sales. In a similar vein, the soon-to-be-released Mitsubishi Pajero Sport will also be a ladder-frame SUV but lacks admission to the American market. Toyota Fortuner and Isuzu MU-X also fit the bill.

A Frontier Pro-based SUV would have a shot at being sold outside of China, considering the pickup is headed to export markets. However, Nissan has already shot down the idea of bringing the pickup to the U.S. in a statement to our sister site InsideEVs , so we shouldn’t expect the SUV to appear in America anytime soon. In the meantime, the pickup will go on sale in China this year, featuring a small 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor integrated into the automatic transmission.

Together, they generate 402 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Nissan The Frontier Pro is said to cover up to 84 miles (135 kilometers) solely using electric power before engaging the gasoline engine. While this represents a solid range for a plug-in hybrid pickup equipped with an approximately 33.0-kilowatt-hour battery, these figures are derived from China’s CLTC testing standards; therefore, corresponding WLTP or EPA ratings would likely be considerably less. Similarly, the mentioned overall driving distance of 650 miles (1,046 km) may not hold under different measurement criteria.

Once it reaches China in the upcoming months, the Frontier Pro will then be shipped to certain areas.

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Source: Drive.com.au