Nissan South Africa has confirmed the Navara-based Terra is “on the horizon” for a local introduction.
Speaking during a virtual roundtable event with media, Kabelo Rabotho, Nissan South Africa’s marketing director, suggested the ladder-frame SUV was very much under consideration.
“Yes, it [the Terra] is a product that is on the horizon for introduction, both for South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa,” Rabotho said in response to a question from CARmag.co.za.
When it was revealed in China back in April 2018, the Terra was powered by a petrol engine and featured five seats. The following month, the Japanese automaker confirmed the body-on-frame SUV would also be built (for South East Asia, at least) with a 2,5-litre turbodiesel engine and seven seats.
Then, in August of that year, the Terra was launched in Thailand, featuring the brand’s familiar twin-turbo 2,3-litre diesel engine from the Navara bakkie, mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. It subsequently earned a five-star safety rating from ASEAN NCAP.
We’d speculate the SA-spec version would likewise employ the 140 kW 2,3-litre oil-burner. Whether it is imported from Thailand or built alongside the Navara at Nissan SA’s Rosslyn plant remains to be seen.
The Terra was conceived to take on the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Isuzu MU-X, and (locally, at least) could be considered the spiritual successor to the Pathfinder.
