Nissan has confirmed the development of a right-hand drive version of the 300 kW Navara Pro PHEV.

Nissan has confirmed that the new Navara Pro PHEV double-cab, which is a product of the Japanese brand’s joint-venture operation in China, will also be produced in a right-hand drive configuration, a development that may potentially lead to its introduction in South Africa.

Introduced in China as the Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) in April 2025, this pickup truck is based on the Nissan Yuanye Z9 already available in that market, which is manufactured by Zhengzhou Nissan, the brand's joint venture with Dongfeng.

Nissan has confirmed that the vehicle will soon be available in Mexico, a left-hand-drive market where it will be branded as the Frontier Pro. This launch marks the model's first introduction outside of China, underscoring China’s increasing significance as a core innovation and export hub for Nissan, with further expansion into additional Latin American markets planned by the end of 2026.

Nissan has announced that the ladder-frame pickup will be released as the Navara Pro in the Philippines and the Middle East by the end of 2026, with the first right-hand-drive markets, Australia and New Zealand, to follow in 2027. Notably, the company's global press materials indicate that the Navara Pro will be offered with both pure petrol and turbodiesel powertrains, depending on the specific market.

Although the company’s press materials do not mention African markets, Cars.co.za has noted that Zhengzhou Nissan Automobiles (ZNA) filed to trademark the “ZNAZ9” badge in South Africa in late 2024, followed by an application to protect the “ZNA” name in September 2026. Naturally, these trademark filings do not serve as a guarantee that the automaker will launch this model in the region.

To clarify, the iteration unveiled at Auto Shanghai 2025 utilized a plug-in hybrid powertrain, integrating a turbocharged 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder gasoline engine with a high-output electric motor coupled to the automatic transmission. The system's total output was reported to exceed 300 kW and 800 Nm.

In the meantime, the right-hand-drive version confirmed for Australia will be upgraded to a new turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol PHEV drivetrain, which appears to offer the same preliminary performance outputs. While battery specifications have not yet been announced, Nissan’s Australian division has confirmed a payload of approximately 1,000 kg and a 3,500 kg braked towing capacity, both of which remain subject to final homologation.

Please be advised that the production of the D23-series Navara in South Africa concluded in May 2026, following Nissan's divestment of its Rosslyn facility to the Chery Group. While markets such as Australia have transitioned to a next-generation Navara platform based on the latest Mitsubishi Triton, the legacy model remains available domestically, with the Thailand-manufactured iteration scheduled for release later this year.

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While it remains uncertain whether the Navara Pro PHEV will be introduced to the South African market to complement the current D23-series model, the confirmation of right-hand-drive production provides Nissan SA with a viable strategic option to compete with the BYD Shark 6 and JAC T9 PHEV.