Nissan confirms Xterra return
Nissan teased and confirmed a revived Xterra for the 2029 model year, presented as a body‑on‑frame truck that will offer either a gas‑only V‑6 or a V‑6 hybrid powertrain. The reveal positions the Xterra comeback as a rugged, non‑car‑based offering rather than a crossover. (caranddriver.com)
Nissan has confirmed the Xterra is coming back for the 2029 model year as a truck-based sport utility vehicle, not a softer crossover. (usa.nissannews.com) Nissan showed the first teaser image on April 14, 2026, during a global Vision event and said the new Xterra will be built in the United States. The company tied the model to a new family of body-on-frame vehicles for North America. (usa.nissannews.com) Body-on-frame means the body sits on a separate truck chassis, the way a pickup does, instead of using the lighter one-piece structure common in crossovers. Nissan said the Xterra line will offer either a gasoline V-6 or a new V-6 hybrid. (cars.com) That choice puts the Xterra back into the part of the market now occupied by models such as the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler, where buyers still want four-wheel-drive hardware, towing ability and trail use. Nissan has recently leaned on Rock Creek versions of the Rogue and Pathfinder, but those models use crossover platforms. (cars.com) The return also lands during a broader reset at Nissan. At the same April 14 event, the company paired the Xterra reveal with a 2027 Rogue Hybrid preview and a North America plan centered on hybrids, artificial-intelligence-assisted driver systems and fewer global nameplates. (usa.nissannews.com) (kbb.com) Nissan said on April 1 that it sold 247,068 vehicles in the United States in the first quarter of 2026, with retail sales up 9.6% and six straight months of retail growth. The company called itself the fastest-growing mainstream brand in the country. (usa.nissannews.com) The Xterra name has been gone from Nissan’s United States lineup since the 2015 model year. The original truck-based Xterra debuted for 2000, and the second generation arrived for 2005 with Frontier pickup underpinnings. (nissanusa.com) (cars.com) Cars.com reported Nissan has also said four other body-on-frame models are headed to its United States lineup, though the company has not identified them yet. That suggests the Xterra is part of a larger truck-and-sport-utility push rather than a one-off nostalgia play. (cars.com) Nissan has not released horsepower, pricing, trim levels or an exact on-sale date beyond late 2028 for the return. For now, the clearest signal is the one in the teaser: Xterra is back, and Nissan wants it read as a real off-roader again. (cars.com)
