Will South Africa receive the next-gen (Triton-based) Nissan Navara or could a heavily facelifted version of the locally made D23-series model soldier on in our market?
While the next-generation Nissan Navara – based on the new Mitsubishi Triton – has been confirmed for markets like Australia, the Japanese automaker will seemingly instead offer a heavily facelifted version of the current D23-series model in Latin America. Where does that leave South Africa?
Well, the answer to that question is by no means clear, leaving us to offer little more than well-considered speculation at this point. But first, if you’ll indulge us, let’s take a step back. At its recent Global Product Showcase event in Yokohama, Nissan detailed its global product plans covering the next couple of years.
In its overview of key models by region, the Japanese company said Oceania – that is, Australia, New Zealand and a handful of smaller markets in the area – would welcome an “all-new 1-tonne pick-up” in “FY26” (Japan’s fiscal year, running from the start of April 2026 to the end of March 2027).
Though it oddly didn’t specify that this bakkie would wear the Navara badge, the company again said the product would leverage “Nissan’s partnership with Mitsubishi Motors”. That, of course, means the version locked in for Australia will indeed be based on Alliance partner Mitsubishi’s 6th-generation Triton.
However, quite fascinatingly, in the section on models for Latin America, Nissan said the “Frontier/Navara mid-size pick-up truck” would arrive in that region in FY26, “bringing an evolved design, enhanced infotainment and [an] impressive suite of advanced driver-assist technologies”.
The accompanying (suitably shadowy) teaser image for Latin America shows a double-cab bakkie with a new front end – featuring triple light stacks and a red “Nissan” badge – and squared-off wheel arches. But the side mirrors, front doors and rear doors all appear identical to those of the current D23-series Navara.
So, it seems Latin American markets like Brazil and Argentina (where the bakkie is badged as the Frontier) will eschew the Triton-based model in favour of a heavily updated – or, in Nissan’s words, “evolved” – D23-series model, a generation that dates all the way back to 2014.
Curiously, the section on Africa makes absolutely no mention of a bakkie, instead detailing plans to roll out the Indian-made Magnite to further nations in the region, while also touching on the new Y63-series Patrol (pencilled in for Mzansi for FY26) and a fresh 5-seater SUV (set to be based on the Indian-spec Renault Duster and also likely to arrive in SA in 2026).
Of course, the Navara is a crucial product for Nissan South Africa seeing as it’s currently the only model rolling off the line at the Rosslyn factory in Gauteng, with production of the half-tonne NP200 having ceased back in March 2024 (which prompted a “restructuring” of the local business).
Interestingly, Nissan SA has yet to make any announcements on a new investment into the local facility, which would, of course, be required were Rosslyn to produce the next-gen version. But, considering such a model will be based on the Triton, we’d expect it to be built in a Mitsubishi factory (likely the firm’s Laem Chabang plant in Thailand) instead.
That leads us to believe Nissan’s bakkie strategy in Africa could mirror its approach in Latin America. If that indeed ends up being the case, South Africa would stick with a heavily facelifted version of the long-in-the-tooth D23-series model, a bakkie that would likely continue being built in Rosslyn for export to the rest of Africa.
In effect, the D23-series Navara would thus live on in Mzansi as a prolonged lifecycle vehicle, in much the same way as the 1st-generation Volkswagen Amarok is still in production in Argentina (despite much of the rest of the world having moved to the Ranger-based 2nd-generation model produced at Ford’s Silverton plant in South Africa).
For now, though, the Japanese automaker’s local division is keeping its cards very close to its chest, saying only that the Rosslyn facility – which has been producing the Navara since mid-2021 – remains “Nissan’s light commercial vehicle (LCV) hub” for Africa and a “key component of the company’s ongoing strategy to expand into new export markets”.
At the recent reveal of the Navara Pro-4X Warrior, Jordi Vila, President of Nissan Africa, added that he “sees a strong future for our company in Africa, and the Navara represents a core model in our plans to capture opportunities and expand our footprint”.
Make of that what you will, but we’d say – based on the latest information, at least – that there’s every chance South Africa will stick with a prolonged lifecycle version of the Navara rather than switch to the new Triton-based model. Of course, only time will tell…
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