New Navara a workhorse with style

Nissan Navara MY15

'It's a great one,' says Nissan's man as the good old Navara makes a giant leap forward Workhorse with style

The 12th generation Nissan Navara has been revealed -- and will be in New Zealand early next year.

It will replace the decade-old D40, and the 17-year-old D22, which is now Nissan's lowest priced ute, in DX single cab chassis formation.

The design team focused on producing a sportier and more emotional expression for the new Navara. The view from the side is marked by the smooth silhouette, thanks to the high beltline and blacked B-pillar.

Nissan says the door section with convex and concave surface boldly "expresses its energetic and dependable appearance along with the massively sculpted fenders". Nissan's signature "V-motion" motif flows from the grille into the hood and on through to the front fender, giving a smooth and dynamic character line.

"Since we built our first pick-up in 1933, more than 14 million customers around the globe have come to depend on a Nissan pick-up to transport their families, work-mates and cargo, sometimes in the toughest of circumstances," said Nissan's chief planning officer, Andy Palmer.

"Nissan pick-ups are often the lifeblood of their communities, and they need a broader range of abilities than almost any other vehicle.

"Engineering a good one isn't easy, but with the NP300 Navara, we've added to our 80 years of pick-up know-how, more comfort, convenience and SUV-inspired features to build a great one.

"The Nissan NP300 Navara sets benchmarks for performance, toughness, versatility and running costs -- all the qualities that are critical for pickup users."