Nissan Navara Pro Plug-in Hybrid Unveiled - Will SA See It?

The ink is barely dry on Rosslyn's closure, and Nissan has unveiled what they're calling the most capable Navara ever built. The bitter irony is we'll probably never see it.

Revealed at the Philippine International Motor Show in Manila, the Navara Pro Plug-in Hybrid is the opening salvo of Nissan's new 'From China' export strategy — vehicles designed and built in China for select global markets. It's closely related to the Frontier Pro sold locally in China, and the spec sheet is an impressive read: a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol-electric hybrid producing 300 kW and 800 Nm, sending power through a four-speed DHT, with 135 km of electric-only range, to a full AWD system with an electromechanical rear diff lock. Think BYD Shark 6 territory, with Nissan badges.

Back home, the contrast is sharp. In May 2026, Nissan ended Navara production at its Rosslyn plant after 60 years of local manufacturing — a casualty of low volumes, the earlier loss of the NP200, and a brutal global restructuring at Nissan HQ. The plant is now being sold to Chery. The Navara will live on in SA, but as an imported model.

So will the Pro PHEV come here?

Almost certainly not soon. The Philippines is left-hand-drive, like China. South Africa isn't, and Nissan has confirmed nothing about RHD development or SA market intentions. There's also a harder question: if the brand couldn't make the Navara work when it was built in Pretoria, what's the case for importing a premium PHEV from China?

And if it did come, what would it cost?

The current Navara tops out at R924,000. A China-sourced PHEV bakkie of this calibre, run through SA's 25% import duty, escalating ad valorem tax, 15% VAT - and potentially new anti-dumping duties the government is actively considering on Chinese vehicles - lands you somewhere between R1.3-million and R1.6-million. That's a tough sell in a price-sensitive segment, though South Africa has proven it'll pay for the right performance bakkie.

Full specs are still to be confirmed closer to its Q4 2026 Philippine launch. For now, one of the most exciting bakkies Nissan has ever made is heading to Asia - while the factory that once proudly built its predecessor is being handed over to a Chinese brand. Yet, more irony.

Nissan Navara Pro Plug-In Hybrid