The next-generation Nissan Frontier midsize pickup truck may have EV and plug-in hybrid variants, the latter using Mitsubishi technology, Automotive News reports.
Nissan and Mitsubishi have been corporate allies since 2016, and the current generation Nissan Rogue and Mitsubishi Outlander crossovers use a common platform. But the two brands are looking for closer collaboration on electrified propulsion systems, according to the report.
Nissan will soon launch its first plug-in hybrid in North America, “based on a system designed by Mitsubishi,” says Automotive News. And, reportedly, Mitsubishi will use Nissan’s EV technology for a North American electric model.
Reportedly, the two automakers will also jointly develop a new truck, with fully electric and plug-in hybrid propulsion systems, to be manufactured in Mexico. This truck will likely serve as a replacement for the current generation Frontier, and Mitsubishi could potentially get its own version for the U.S. Mitsubishi currently sells a truck known as Triton and L200 in other markets, but it has not sold a truck in the U.S. since the early 2000s Dodge Dakota-derived Raider.
Nissan announced earlier this week that there will be multiple hybrids and plug-in hybrids headed to the United States. The automaker currently does not have a single hybrid or plug-in hybrid in its U.S. lineup, but has deployed its e-Power hybrid technology in other markets.
Late last year, Nissan suggested that electric power could evolve for the United States (and for trucks) on the way to fully electric models, perhaps with the addition of a parallel hybrid mode. But at that time, it noted that its technology was distinct from the Mitsubishi hybrid system, as currently used in the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid. That model already offers that combination of serial and parallel hybrid operation, so it seems Nissan has become enthusiastic about using that system.
Nissan e-Power Launch Schedule in the U.S.
More than two years ago, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and their partner Renault launched a “Alliance 2030” plan aimed at making the most of the four electric vehicle platforms already developed among the three automakers. Then, last year, Mitsubishi teased several electric vehicles, including an electric truck potentially headed for the United States, as part of its product plan.
This latest news comes just after Fisker confirmed that a partnership, supposedly with Nissan, to manufacture and share its electric truck Alaska had been dissolved.
