China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has unveiled what seems to be the new generation of the Nissan Navara pickup, tentatively named the Yuanye Z9. It remains unclear whether the Yuanye Z9 is a China-exclusive model or part of the Mitsubishi Triton-based Navara intended for global consumption. Either way, it may still offer clues about the styling of the upcoming Western-market Navara.
China’s Yuanye Z9 thinks it’s hip to be square. As a result, the
truck embraces a boxy design with sharp lines and subtle curves. The front end
is dominated by a large mesh grille, which is flanked by vertical headlights.
Further below, there’s a black plastic bumper with a faux silver skid plate.
Moving down the sides, we can see plastic body cladding and blacked out
A-pillars. The crew cab pickup also has side steps and an available sport bar.
The mid-size truck also appears to offer a panoramic moonroof, a tonneau cover,
and an assortment of different wheels. The rear end isn’t particularly exciting
as the Nissan pickup has vertical taillights as well as large reflectors that
reside above a fake skid plate. We can also see a practical bumper with a wide
step that should provide easy access to the bed.
In terms of size, the pickup measures 5,520 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,950
mm tall with a wheelbase that spans 3,300 mm. That means the
model is quite a bit larger than the current Australian-spec Narava SL Dual
Cab, which is 5,260 mm long, 1,850 mm wide, and 1,810 mm tall. It’s also worth noting the model is 200 mm longer than the Mitsubishi Triton and has an extra 170 mm between the wheels. That’s a huge difference and one that suggests the two
models are unrelated despite both companies being part of the same alliance.
Under the hood, there’s a 2.0-liter
gasoline engine that appears to have outputs of 244 hp and
255 hp. They’ll enable the model to hit a top speed of up to 160 km/h. Chinese customers will also be able to get a 3.0-liter
diesel engine producing 188 hp. Despite being less powerful,
this version has a higher top speed of 170 km/h.
Moreover, Chinese Nissan officials have
previously confirmed that the upcoming pickup truck will also introduce a
plug-in hybrid variant down the line.