Plug-in hybrid ute a Nissan priority

NISSAN wants to bring a plug-in hybrid ute to market “as soon as possible” as high diesel prices weigh on Navara sales, according to Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette.

Speaking to GoAuto at the launch of the front-wheel drive X-Trail E-Power and X-Trail Rock Creek in New Zealand, Mr Milette said diesel prices were the main factor behind a slump in the ute market.

“I think the diesel pricing has had a huge impact,” he said.

“There is a market for diesel. I just think some customers have hit pause for the time being.”

According to VFACTS sales data, 4x4 ute volume fell 16.9 per cent to 94,346 units between March and August compared with the same period last year.

“When you see plug-in hybrids, they tend to be on the way up,” added Mr Milette.

“So, what we’re looking towards is how can we get our utility plug-in hybrid to market as soon as possible because that’s where the world is.”

Although he did not say which model the plug-in hybrid would be based on or when it would arrive, it is no secret that the China-sourced Frontier Pro is very much in Nissan Oceania’s crosshairs and could receive the Navara nameplate if and when it arrives Down Under.

Mr Milette said the D27 series Navara that went on sale earlier this year had not performed as well as it could have but that sales had since lifted after pricing changes.

“I’d say we could do better. So, I would say from April to July, it had a certain sales rate. It probably doubled from July to today. There’s been some repricing, so it’s performing better than it has,” he said.

VFACTS figures show 1010 Navaras were sold between April and July, with monthly sales falling from 352 in April to 212 in July.

Mr Milette said Nissan had launched the Navara with a limited line-up but had targeted the highest-volume parts of the market.

“We had a restricted number of variants … But with that, we chose where the highest volumes were. So, I would say we’re in the right segment within the utes,” he said.

Mr Milette said previous-generation D23 series Navaras were holding their value well on the used market and that Nissan was having success moving existing owners into the new D27 series on a “payment to payment” basis.

He also said the new Navara’s suspension – fine-tuned in Australia by Premcar – was “unique” and “drives much better than the competition”.

More broadly, Mr Milette – who took the helm of Nissan Oceania as US-Israeli strikes on Iran sent the price of liquid fossil fuels soaring – said the conflict had combined with the ready availability of Chinese-built vehicles and energy security fears to create “the perfect storm” in the market but that its effects would not last.

“Now it’s going to settle. I do believe things revert to the mean at some point,” he said.

“I think the spike in EVs probably won’t stay as pronounced as it is. I think people will look for diversified powertrains, which is where E-Power (hybrid) comes in, and high-quality fuel-efficient petrol engines come in.”

On battery electric vehicles, Mr Milette said the third-generation Leaf remained “technically on pause” for Australia despite this year’s fuel price spike because “it’s still a business case that’s not possible”.

The Ariya electric medium SUV remains on sale, but Mr Milette conceded that “from a sales perspective, that’s not where it needs to be”.

Nissan sold 203 Ariyas in the first seven months of 2026, according to VFACTS data.

“We are spending more on it from a media perspective. We are entering new channels,” said Mr Milete, adding that Nissan was only now moving into novated leasing, a channel he described as “huge”.