Next Nissan Frontier to be a Diesel?? Or a Hybrid??

Sure sounds like it according to Fred Diaz who is head of US sales.  All powertrains are under consideration and given that Nissan has moved to put a diesel in the 2016 Titan would it surprise anyone if a smaller diesel ended up in the next generation Frontier?

Unchanged in terms of basic body design and powertrain options since its introduction as a 2005 model, the Nissan Frontier saw one of its best years of sales in 2013 with over 60,000 units sold in the US.  Worldwide the Navara is also a successful model but one that comes with a turbo diesel engine not available here.  Though the Truck Trend article mentions that they test drove just such a model at the Nissan 360 event in California in 2013, I wouldn't anticipate that this exact engine would end up in a US version of the next Frontier.  This engine has been in use for these past near 10 years and any updated Frontier would likely receive an updated and more efficient engine as well.  The suggestion of a small Cummins diesel is an exciting proposition

The more interesting possibility is that of a hybrid option.  Nissan likes to be seen as an innovative company on the cutting edge of automotive options--the first mini-pickup in the US, first truck with a crew cab option, first mass market all electric with the Leaf, etc.  So it wouldn't shock me to see Nissan be the first to offer a hybrid small pickup or perhaps a hybrid turbo diesel?  Or perhaps the "First Manufacturer to offer a Cummins diesel in a Mid-Size truck"??

In any case, the next Frontier is likely to stay "about" the same size as it is today given it will still need to differentiate itself from the new Titan though, as with the current version, the two models will see a number of identical parts--axles, hubs, frame, etc. to curb costs.  With the Titan rounding into its final form before its introduction to the world in less than a year, the next Frontier is definitely entering the design phase as we speak.

Nissan Frontier--Diesel? Hybrid? Cummins?

New 2015 Nissan Titan Spy Shot

Why we don't have more shots from this encounter??  I dunno...but at least they got one of the Cummins powered mule that is out testing in Arizona and Michigan currently.  While the photographer got a shot of the Cummins logo on the truck for the first time, the photos of the business end of the truck where the diesel has been shoehorned into somewhat modified sheetmetal are missing.  If there was any question that Nissan would try to market its new Titan around the Cummins powerplant, I think its gone now.

I would anticipate the production version to carry similar and multiple LARGE Cummins logos and tags as the Cummins name is far more marketable to American truck buyers than "Nissan" is at this point.  As I said before...expect these shots to come out more and more frequently as time goes on...

2014 Nissan Rogue Spotted!!

 Heavily camouflaged but still exhibiting a sleeker, lower form--much like the Infiniti crossovers, the next gen Rogue also looks a bit longer as well.  The Rogue has been a big seller for Nissan in the US and this looks to continue with this model giving consumers more of what they like about it as a small-ish, inexpensive-ish wagon without wagon looks.

In Canada and elsewhere this will likely be dubbed the "X-Trail" or "Dualis" replacing a more rugged model in those markets and streamlining another section of Nissan's product line.  These photos were taken in Death Valley during hot weather testing--thus the need for the Uhaul trailer to put additional stress on the vehicle in real world conditions.  Additionally, the next generation Rogue will reportedly have a hybrid gas/electric drive option--a first for a Nissan SUV/crossover I believe.