What is it?
Simply put, the Terra is to the Navara what the Fortuner is to the Toyota Hilux and the Everest is the Ford Ranger. That is Nissan’s double-cab based SUV that must tango with the aforementioned rivals as well as the Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. Terra is of course not a new name at Nissan, a concept car was teased as far back as 2012. And you’re right to assume that there should be a Pathfinder – perhaps this becomes its spiritual successor, we’ll have to wait another month or two to confirm. We can however confirm that the Terra will be the first vehicle from Nissan's frame and LCV division to launch under the company's midterm plan, Nissan ‘M.O.V.E to 2022’.
Nissan Terra concept teased in 2012
Senior vice-president for Nissan’s frame and LCV business, Mr Ashwani Gupta says: "I’m very pleased to announce that the all-new Nissan Terra will soon arrive in China. This rugged SUV is practical, authentic, and designed to go anywhere.” That’s this year, but no word on a South African release date but you can bet it will come – in fact Nissan South Africa will most likely be involved with tweaking it for local consumption, if their track record with the Navara is anything to go by. It’s official unveil will occur at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show in April most likely with the 2.3-litre diesel engine from the Navara so if anything, will be a more frugal machine than the Pathfinder it replaces. That engine is good for 140kW and 450Nm which is ripe for duty in this new seven seater LCV-based SUV.
This would of course round out Nissan’s already burgeoning off-road catalogue, which already contains the top selling SUV in the world – the Nissan X-Trail and the hugely successful segment pioneering Qashqai. In 2017 alone Nissan’s global frame and LCV vehicle sales soared to 907.929 vehicles – that’s a 7% growth versus 2016. Let’s what the new Terra can yield.
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What is Nissan M.O.V.E?
The mission of the six-year midterm plan “Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022” is to achieve sustainable growth and to lead the technology and business evolution of the automotive industry. By the end of the plan, under the proportional consolidation of the Chinese joint venture, Nissan aims to grow revenues from 12.8 trillion yen to 16.5 trillion yen, and generate a cumulative 2.5 trillion yen of automotive free cash flow, with an 8% operating margin.
