Nissan teases Xterra return

Nissan has now publicly confirmed that Xterra is coming back, with the new SUV targeted to launch in late 2028 for the 2029 model year. (usa.nissannews.com) The company says the new Xterra will ride on a body-on-frame platform, the truck-style construction used by off-road sport utility vehicles such as the Toyota 4Runner and Ford Bronco. Nissan also said buyers will get a choice of a V-6 gasoline engine or a new V-6 hybrid. (usa.nissannews.com) Nissan showed only a front-end teaser at its Vision event, but the image points to a square-shouldered shape, upright nose, and a much more rugged look than the current Rogue or Pathfinder. The company said the model will be built in the United States. (usa.nissannews.com) The return puts Nissan back into a part of the United States market that has grown around truck-based sport utility vehicles with real four-wheel-drive hardware. Ford sold 139,347 Broncos in the United States in 2025, while Toyota sold 98,805 4Runners. (carfigures.com) (pressroom.toyota.com) For Nissan, the Xterra is also part of a wider product plan, not a one-off revival. The automaker said it is exploring a family of five United States-built body-on-frame models across Nissan and Infiniti, including pickups and multi-row sport utility vehicles. (usa.nissannews.com) The original Xterra ran for two generations from model year 2000 through model year 2015, and Nissan still lists it on its discontinued-vehicles page. The 2015 model was offered in X, S, and PRO-4X trims, all built around the same truck-based formula that made the name popular with off-road buyers. (nissanusa.com) (usa.nissannews.com) Nissan had already been signaling a tougher direction in North America. In March 2025, the company said a plug-in hybrid Rogue, a refreshed Pathfinder, and other new products were coming to the United States and Canada as it tried to rebuild sales momentum. (usa.nissannews.com) Christian Meunier, the former Jeep chief executive who returned to Nissan and became chairman of Nissan Americas in January 2025, has been central to that push. His background helps explain why Nissan is leaning harder into truck-based sport utility vehicles instead of adding another car-based crossover. (usa.nissannews.com) (global.nissannews.com) The next concrete step is still a ways off: Nissan has promised the launch window, the powertrain choices, and the basic layout, but not pricing, dimensions, or final specifications. For now, the company has done the part fans had been waiting on for more than a decade — it put the Xterra name back on its future product map. (usa.nissannews.com)