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Nissan has potentially opened the door for the Murano SUV to be revived in Australia, as it weighs 'reverse importing' right-hand drive cars from the US to Japan.
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The Nissan Murano family SUV could return to Australia after a decade-long hiatus, via a potential United States-Japan export deal enabling right-hand drive production.
Nissan is reportedly considering 'reverse importing' vehicles it manufactures in the US to Japan to tap into unused capacity at the foreign plant and improve sales in its domestic market.
The company currently manufactures the Murano and Pathfinder SUVs at its Smyrna, Tennessee, factory, with the latter model already built in right-hand drive and sold in Australia, though its local future remains under a cloud.
The Japanese government reportedly supports 'reverse imports' of vehicles from the US, which could help ease trade tensions between the two countries, with Toyota also considering selling US-built cars in Japan, such as the Tundra.
Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda met with US President Donald Trump, who visited Japan this week, and other business leaders, with the matter reportedly on the agenda.
"Nissan sells many attractive models in the U.S., some of which are well-suited to Japan's road conditions," a company spokesperson told Automotive News.
"We are carefully assessing Japanese customer needs and exploring the possibility of importing these vehicles into Japan."
Many Japanese car manufacturers already 'reverse import' vehicles, but they are mostly sourced from Thailand and India where production costs are lower, not the United States.
Automotive News reports the strategy would improve production rates at Nissan's US facilities, boost sales, and increase efficiency as it seeks to return to profitability after reporting its worst financial results in 20 years.
However, a potential barrier includes the high foreign exchange rate, which Nissan Australia managing director Andrew Humberstone has previously raised as a concern for the local future of the Pathfinder.
"The problem we've got with Pathfinder is it's an amazing car," he said in January.
"[We] love the car. People love the car. [But] we have an FX [currency exchange rate] issue. It comes from the US and it's challenging at the moment."
A new-generation Murano went on sale in the US earlier this year, while the current Pathfinder – first launched in 2021 – is due for a mid-life refresh in 2026.
The five-seat Murano is positioned similarly to Mazda's CX-70, however, it is visually distinct from the Pathfinder, with a unique coupe-style design inspired by the Ariya electric SUV.
Unlike the Pathfinder, which has a 202kW/340Nm 3.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V6 engine, the Murano features a 180kW/353Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder matched to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Year to date, 601 Nissan Pathfinders have been reported as sold in Australia, behind the Toyota Kluger (6598), Hyundai Palisade (1536) and now-discontinued Jeep Grand Cherokee (625), but ahead of the Mazda CX-90 (547).
The Nissan Murano was offered in Australia across two generations between 2005 and 2015, when it was built in Japan, not the United States.
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
