Nissan Surprises With Frontier Pro Plug-In Hybrid Truck

Seemingly out of nowhere, Nissan is launching an electrified Frontier. Although it carries the “Pro” suffix, the truck is unrelated to the Frontier Pro-X/Pro-4X sold in North America. The brand’s first electrified pickup broke cover today at Auto Shanghai in China and is based on the locally produced Nissan Dongfeng Z9 unveiled at the beginning of the year.

Nissan claims this is its first plug-in hybrid model, considering the models with the e-Power setup are technically electric vehicles with a range-extending gas engine. The workhorse has been penned locally at the Shanghai studio with an interrupted light bar harkening back to the three-slot opening in the hood of the Nissan/Datsun D21 Hardbody. At the back, buyers will have the option to choose an electrically retractable bed cover.

How big is it? Nissan’s inaugural hybrid truck is 217.3 inches (5520 millimeters) long, 77.1 in (1960 mm) wide, and 76.7 in (1950 mm) tall. That makes it bigger in every dimension than the D41-generation short-bed Frontier currently sold in the United States. It carries a 130-inch (3300-mm) wheelbase and weighs between 5,511 to 5,600 pounds (2,500 to 2,540 kilograms), depending on the version. All of them get 18-inch wheels with 265/65 tires.

Powering China’s Frontier Pro is a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine working together with an electric motor built into the transmission. Combined, the two deliver more than 402 horsepower and 590 pound-feet (800 Newton-meters) of torque. The unspecified battery pack is good for 84 miles (135 kilometers), albeit in the overly optimistic CLTC test cycle.

The new truck combines an independent double wishbone front suspension with a five-link rear layout and gets an electromechanical rear diff lock. Nissan and Dongfeng have engineered the Frontier Pro with manually selectable 4High and 4Low modes as well as dedicated Performance and Snow driving modes, on top of the Hybrid and Pure Electric programs.

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Source: Nissan

The interior carries over the neon yellow theme and hosts a 14.6-inch touchscreen together with a 10-inch driver’s display. At an additional cost, the front seats can be heated and cooled, as well as feature a massaging function. There’s also a vehicle-to-load function onboard, juicing up devices from the bed-mounted V2L port at up to 6 kW.

Interestingly, the Frontier Pro won’t be exclusive to the Chinese market. Nissan intends to sell the electrified pickup in other markets. However, we reckon that the steep tariffs and the 25-percent Chicken Tax make the truck unviable for the United States.