Nissan dealers plea for Xterra return amid 4x4 SUV boom
Want competition for the Wrangler and Bronco
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nissan dealers want in on the action.
Nissan sold the Xterra across two generations from 2000 to 2015. (Nissan)
Many of the automaker’s franchisees are asking it to give them a serious midsize off-road SUV to compete with vehicles like the Toyota 4Runner, Jeep Wrangler and upcoming Ford Bronco in the increasingly hot segment, Automotive News reported.
Nissan from 2000-2015 sold the truck-based Xterra in the U.S., but discontinued it as sales declined from approximately 73,000 in 2005 to 10,000 during its last model year. Aside from the full-size Armada, it has since offered only crossover utility vehicles.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Taylor Slade of Tim Dahle Nissan Southtowne in suburban Salt Lake City told the outlet that "the rugged body-on-frame utility segment is on fire, and we're missing out on key business for the brand," and said he thinks annual sales could reach the 80,000 vehicle level they were at in the early 2000s.
Members of the dealer advisory board conveyed their position to COO Ashwani Gupta, who told them the company has thought about it but hasn’t made any decisions, according to the outlet.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nissan has not publically commented on a possible Xterra return to the U.S., but did launch an all-new X-Terra SUV in the Middle East last year that’s based on its global Navarra pickup platform, which wasn’t engineered to meet American motor vehicle standards.
(Nissan)
One 4x4 that will be in Nissan showrooms soon is an all-new Frontier small pickup that's scheduled to be unveiled on Feb. 4.