We’ve known since this past April that Nissan plans to bring back the Xterra, an SUV the automaker sold in the early 2000s.
Yesterday, Nissan confirmed yesterday during a national dealer meeting in Las Vegas that the new Xterra will launch for the 2028 model-year. The company also shared the identities of other models slates to join its lineup in the coming few years.
Nissan’s plan includes adding 20 new or updated models to its offering in Canada and the U.S. by the spring of 2027. In other words, things are going to get seriously busy over the next 18 to 24 months.
Xterra
When Nissan North America boss Christian Meunier mentioned the Xterra at the meeting, he garnered a round of applause. Those in on the meeting were shown sketch of a concept with a boxy style, vertical grille and square headlights, according to some who were there.
No technical details about the model were revealed, but it’s believed the SUV will be built on a new body-on-frame platform designed to underpin five models, including an updated version of the Frontier pickup and the next Pathfinder. In the latter's case, it would be a return to its roots. We'll recall that it switched to a unibody structure in 2013, which at the time helped save it and revitalize sales.
Also according to the leaked information, the Xterra will be equipped with a V6 hybrid powertrain, possibly with a range extender. The model could deliver some 120 km of all-electric driving.
It will be built at Nissan's plant in Canton, Mississippi, where the Frontier is assembled. The plant is not currently operating at full capacity.
One of the dealers present expressed their delight at the news, stressing that that type of model is very profitable for a dealership.
When we met Meunier a little earlier this year during a visit to Montreal, he also talked of how important a profitable model is for the company. Yes, high-volume models are too, but some more limited-run vehicles that are extremely profitable are also necessary. The executive was referring to the Armada SUV at the time.
Sentra and Rogue
Nissan also shared news regarding the Sentra sedan, being renewed for 2026, as well as the Rogue, the brand's best-selling vehicle. Dealers at the meeting were shown the fourth-generation Rogue, described by Meunier as the company's “centre of gravity” and “breadwinner”.
The new model, promised with more muscular styling, will be ready for the 2027 model-year, and it will include a hybrid variant using Nissan's e-Power technology, another element Meunier is counting on to boost the company's North American lineup and sales.
The Infiniti brand will inherit the e-Power system as well, for the relaunch of the QX50 SUV.
A busy autumn
So things will start moving quickly at Nissan, starting this fall in fact with the launch of both the new Sentra and the transformed new LEAF SUV. Canadian pricing for that model has just announced, in fact.