Nissan Could Turn the Frontier Plug-In Hybrid Into an SUV

It would be a body-on-frame SUV different than the Xterra revival.

Nissan Fronter Pro Plug-In Hybrid

Photo by: Nissan

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

May 5, 2025 at 4:23am ET

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It's safe to say Nissan surprised us all last month at the Auto Shanghai 2025 show, where it unveiled the Frontier Pro. Despite its familiar name, the truck is not related to the Frontier Pro-X we get here in the United States. Instead, it’s heavily linked to the Nissan Dongfeng Z9, which was developed in China for the local market.

It marks two firsts for Nissan: an electrified pickup and a plug-in hybrid in the conventional sense of the term, since e-Power models are technically EVs with range-extending gas engines. While Nissan has been talking about reviving the Xterra with gas and electric drivetrains, a different kind of body-on-frame SUV could be in the offing. The Frontier Pro’s development engineer hinted at the prospect of turning the truck into an SUV.

Photo by: Nissan

Speaking with Australian media, including Drive, Ikuo Miyai said: "Of course, you can see the pickup [here]. But the pickup is very… [we can] really afford making another variation—a normal wheelbase, an SUV, or so. We should consider the market requirement, and also we need to consider what’s the investment. If we have a chance, of course, we will start the development. Everything is under consideration."

The off-roader would go up against the Ford Everest, essentially an SUV version of the Ranger not sold in the U.S., where the Blue Oval likely thinks it would cannibalize Bronco and/or Explorer sales. Speaking of forbidden fruits, the upcoming Mitsubishi Pajero Sport will also be a ladder-frame SUV without a U.S. visa. The 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 wouldn’t hold our breath to see the SUV in America either. Meanwhile, the pickup goes on sale this year in China with a small 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor housed within the automatic transmission.

Nissan Frontier Pro (China)

Source: Nissan

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Combined, the two produce 402 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Nissan claims the Frontier Pro can travel 84 miles (135 kilometers) before the gas engine kicks in. Although that’s a decent range for a plug-in hybrid truck with a battery estimated at 33.0 kilowatt-hours, the number is based on China’s CLTC cycle, so equivalent WLTP or EPA figures would be significantly lower. The same goes for the quoted total driving range of 650 miles (1,046 km).

After it hits China in the coming months, the Frontier Pro will be exported to some regions.

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Source: Drive.com.au

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