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Victorian-based Premcar – which builds modified Navara and Patrol Warrior models for Nissan – has entered the South African market with a new version of its Navara Pro-4X Warrior ute.
The Nissan Navara Warrior program has expanded globally, with South Africa set to receive a modified version of the Navara Pro-4X inspired by the Australian creation.
Nissan and Premcar – the Victorian-based firm behind the Navara and Patrol Warrior, and formerly responsible for Ford Performance Vehicles – have announced the Navara Pro-4X Warrior will launch in South Africa in late April 2025, but it won't be the same car available in Australian showrooms.
Instead, the South African version of the Pro-4X Warrior has been toned down over the ute sold in Australia, with the modifications applied at the "bakkie's" local assembly plant in Rosslyn, rather than at a separate facility.
The Australian-market Navara Warrior and Patrol Warrior arrive from Thailand and Japan, respectively, as stock vehicles before their Warrior-specific modifications are added at Premcar's facility in Melbourne.
Premcar's expansion into South Africa is enabled through a partnership with local firm AIH Group under a new entity called 'Premcar South Africa', which will modify the Warrior vehicles as soon as they roll off the assembly line.
Design changes shared between the Pro-4X Warrior in Australia and South Africa are limited to the 17-inch wheel design, wheel arch flares, and Warrior-branded front seats.
It has a 30-millimetre track width increase, equivalent to the Australian-market version, while its ground clearance is 232mm (+12mm) compared to 260mm for the Australian Pro-4X Warrior, or 40mm more than a standard Navara.
Its gross vehicle mass (GVM) has been increased by 100 kilograms over a standard Pro-4X – matching the Australian model – but it is lower at 3135kg instead of 3250kg, while the Navara's 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity is retained.
The South African model misses out on several upgrades, such as a winch-compatible bullbar, Cooper Discoverer AT3 all-terrain tyres, a sailplane, a redesigned towbar, and Warrior-specific decals.
Differences over the standard Navara Pro-4X – which is built in South Africa for its local market – include newly-engineered suspension springs and dampers "tuned and optimised" for South African roads, along with Maxxis RAZR all-terrain tyres, and a unique front bumper design.
Nissan started building the current 'D23'-generation Navara in South Africa in 2020, joining Thailand where Australian-market versions have been sourced since it launched 10 years ago – and around 12 months before Spanish production ended for the European market in 2021.
South African versions feature a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder 'YD25' diesel engine developing 140kW and 450Nm – derived from the previous-generation 'D40' Navara – instead of the newer twin-turbocharged 2.3-litre 'YS23' unit standard in Australia with the same outputs.
Both engines are matched to a seven-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, while the Australian-market Pro-4X Warrior is also available with a six-speed manual.
It is the first time Warrior-branded Nissan vehicles have been sold outside of Australia in almost five years, after a small number of Navara N-Trek Warriors were available in New Zealand between 2019 and 2020.
Premcar CEO Bernie Quinn said while the vehicles are "slightly different", the Pro-4X Warrior for South Africa will deliver the same "end result" as the model available in Australia.
"The end result will be the same; a ute that feels perfectly suited to South African conditions, and one that broadens capability without ever sacrificing comfort.
“This isn’t just important for us, but for the Australian automotive manufacturing industry across the board.
"We’ve known that Australia is home to some of the brightest automotive minds on the planet, and we can’t wait to show the world what we can do."
Nissan's local boss said the brand plans to continue the Warrior name when new-generation versions of the Navara and Patrol arrive in the coming years.
"Yeah, 100 per cent," Nissan Oceania managing director Andrew Humberstone told Drive last month.
"[We are] very passionate about it. We have a great partnership with Premcar, [they are] great people and our customers love it.
"We look at the data and we look at the modifications customers make on their cars by definition themselves, and we want to make sure they do that safely within the regulations. So what better way of doing that than partnering with Premcar?
"And this for me – I don't mean it to be a cliche, but it's something I'm quite passionate about – it's for Australians by Australians in Australia, and I think we personalise the car that way and I think the Australian consumer appreciates it."
More than 10,000 Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior, Navara SL Warrior, Navara Pro-4X Warrior and Patrol Warrior vehicles have been built since the program commenced in 2019, initially with the Navara ute before expanding to the Patrol off-road SUV in 2023.
Nissan has filed trademarks in Australia for Warrior versions of the Qashqai, X-Trail and Pathfinder car-derived SUVs, and the Z sports car, but the local boss has confirmed the brand will continue to focus on the Navara and Patrol.
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.
