New Nissan EV Platform Could Spawn Electric Pickup
Nissan has been mulling an electric pickup for a while, going back to the highly futuristic Surf-Out concept from 2021. Nissan dealers in the U.S. asked for one two years later, and then the company entered talks with Fisker that might have led to an electric Nissan truck if the troubled American startup hadn’t been headed for bankruptcy.
Of course, Nissan is also in dire straits right now. The Japanese automaker unsuccessfully tried to merge with Honda and later replaced its CEO in an effort to save itself. What’s more, a blitz of new products is in the works, including over 10 models for North America by the end of the 2027 fiscal year—advanced ICE-powered vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrid and next-generation EVs.
- Also: Nissan to Revive Xterra as Electric SUV in 2027
- Also: Nissan, Mitsubishi to Partner on Future Pickup That Could Be All-Electric
Let’s focus on those EVs. From what we’ve heard and read about in recent days, a new electric vehicle platform could underpin up to five new models including crossovers, sedans and maybe even a light truck. All of them will be built in the U.S.—Nissan’s biggest market globally—in order to avoid the dreaded import tariffs.
In an interview with Automotive News, Nissan's director of product planning for the Americas, Ponz Pandikuthira, mentioned that this EV platform will focus on compact and adjacent segments with vehicles capable of reaching a wider range of customers, employing next-generation motors and cheaper lithium-ion batteries.
There will be two crossovers (one sold under the Infiniti luxury brand), and at least one of these models will launch in 2028. As previously reported, a modern, fully electric interpretation of the Nissan Xterra appears to be coming. Production will take place in Canton, Mississippi.
That being said, Nissan is also seriously considering a small, battery-powered pickup that would be based on the same new EV platform—some sort of lifestyle vehicle aimed at the “growing niche of people who want an adventure vehicle but are environmentally conscious and don’t want to take a V8 off into the woods,” according to Pandikuthira.
The Nissan exec hinted at the possibility of sharing said architecture and Nissan’s U.S. factories with another automaker in a move to lower development costs and scale production more effectively. On that note, Nissan and Mitsubishi said about a year ago that they would add to their partnership by working on a next-generation truck, although with plans at the time to build it in Mexico. Fully electric and plug-in hybrid variants were said to be considered.
In addition to Nissan, Kia’s preparing an electric pickup for North America, too, as the Korean company confirmed during its 2025 Investor Day presentation on Wednesday.