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Electrified power is being considered for the Patrol 4WD, but Nissan is taking its time unless CO2 emissions rules mandate it – or customer demand materialises.
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Hybrid or electric power will come to the Nissan Patrol four-wheel-drive when emissions regulations require it, and the technology can deliver the capability customers expect.
Nissan chief product specialist for full-size SUVs, Antonio Lopez, told Drive at the recent Tokyo motor show that electrification will come to the brand’s flagship off-roader when the time is right.
“Obviously, if electrification is required due to the regulations or due to the customer needs, we will prepare the vehicle that the customer will need,” Lopez said.
Any plans for a future electrified Patrol are likely to be welcomed by Nissan Australia, as the twin-turbo petrol V6 version due in showrooms in early 2027 is set to attract hefty penalties under the Federal Government’s new NVES CO2 emissions scheme.
These fines must be paid by the car maker if they cannot offset them with the sale of low-emissions hybrid and electric vehicles that meet the targets.
Nissan executives have previously pointed to solid-state battery technology as the ‘silver bullet’ to allow for an electric Patrol with a driving range on par with petrol, at an acceptable price.
"You have two choices," Guillaume Cartier, then-head of Nissan in the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania regions – but now global Chief Performance Officer – told Australian media in 2023.
"Either you reduce the size of the battery you are using today on the cars … so that will make the cars more affordable and enlarge the number of people ... that want to buy [an electric vehicle].
"Or you can also use [the] same size of battery, and by having [solid state] as the battery (technology), you will be more efficient and you can electrify some cars that today are not."
The Japanese car giant is targeting 2028 for the launch of its first solid-state batteries in a production model, expected to be a high-performance vehicle which can attract the higher price needed to pay for the battery technology, which will be expensive at first.
Meanwhile, the most straightforward path in delivering a hybrid Patrol would be what is known as a ‘P2’ hybrid, where the electric motor is placed between the engine and transmission.
It would allow for the Patrol’s mechanical four-wheel-drive system to be retained – including the low-range transfer case and differential locks.
A similar configuration is being used by Toyota in the LandCruiser 300 Series, mating its 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 with a small, circa-40kW electric motor under the ‘Performance Hybrid’ name.
Opting for a ‘plug-less’ hybrid would allow for a smaller battery that is easier to place than that of a plug-in hybrid, which would need to fit a pack the size of that in the original Nissan Leaf electric car to extract a meaningful electric-only driving range.
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
