Xterra is coming back

Nissan has confirmed the Xterra will return to the United States and Canada in late 2028 as a truck-based sport utility vehicle, ending an 11-year absence. (usa.nissannews.com) The company said the new Xterra will ride on a body-on-frame platform, the construction used by pickup trucks and traditional off-road sport utility vehicles rather than car-based crossovers. Nissan also said buyers will get a V-6 engine or a new V-6 hybrid. (usa.nissannews.com) Nissan showed the first teaser image on April 14, 2026, after executives previewed the vehicle at the New York Auto Show earlier this month. Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan Americas’ product planning chief, told Car and Driver the gas model will use a V-6, not a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. (caranddriver.com) The timing puts Nissan back into a market that has shifted hard toward rugged, truck-based sport utility vehicles. Ford’s Bronco posted its best third quarter on record in 2025, up 42 percent year over year, while Toyota has expanded its body-on-frame lineup with the latest 4Runner and Land Cruiser. (motor1.com) For Nissan, the Xterra is also part of a broader North America reset. The company said it is exploring a family of five United States-built body-on-frame models for Nissan and Infiniti, including pickups and two-row or three-row sport utility vehicles. (usa.nissannews.com) Production is targeted for Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi, plant in 2028, according to the company and local reporting. Building it in Mississippi would give Nissan a domestic entrant in a segment where imported rivals can face tariff and supply-chain pressure. (usatoday.com) The old Xterra ran from the 2000 through 2015 model years and was one of Nissan’s few unapologetically off-road nameplates in the United States. Nissan’s archived 2015 model page still pitches its steel off-road suspension and locking rear differential, details that helped define the truck’s reputation. (nissanusa.com) What Nissan has not said yet is just as important: there are no published horsepower figures, no towing numbers, no price, and no full interior reveal. The company has only said the launch is targeted for late 2028, which points to a 2029 model-year arrival. (usa.nissannews.com) That leaves Nissan with more than two years to turn a teaser into a showroom vehicle. For now, the company has answered the biggest question fans had been asking since 2015: the Xterra name is coming back, and it is returning as a real truck-based sport utility vehicle. (usa.nissannews.com)