Nissan is making another go round with the X-terra and new information released at the 2026 New York International Auto Show is indicating an expanded powertrain strategy than initially indicated. The reintroduced SUV, now projected to come in 2028, now seems to be heading towards two mechanical choices, with an internal combustion model coming first, followed by a hybrid model added to the lineup.
Ponz Pandikuthira, senior vice president and chief product and planning officer for Nissan Americas, told Car and Driver the project keeps a pure gasoline variant in development. “There will be a pure ICE,” he said. He then narrowed the layout further. “If we do ICE only, it will be V6, it won’t be a four-cylinder turbo.”
Earlier talk had linked the third generation X-terra to an EV-only path, with production tied to Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi, plant from 2028. Those plans changed after the federal EV tax incentive disappeared last year. The body-on-frame SUV then shifted toward an electrified route built around combustion support rather than full battery propulsion.
A hybrid version is still part of the program, though Nissan has not fixed the timing. Pandikuthira described the sequence in plain terms. “Then we can build a hybrid off that.” He added, “What does that hybrid execution look like when it debuts? How many months after the ICE version? Still a work in progress at this point.”
One likely mechanical link sits with the pickup side of the business. Nissan already offers a 3.8 liter V6 in the Frontier, and the next X-terra is expected to share architecture with the next Frontier generation. The report notes a V6 route instead of the turbocharged four-cylinder formula used by Toyota rivals. Ford also enters the comparison, since the 3.0 liter EcoBoost in higher Bronco grades was mentioned as a reference point.
Design direction came up too. Pandikuthira said buyers should expect “a lot of those very tough, in-your-face design cues.” He had recently seen the vehicle in Japan as a full foam mockup, which suggests the visual program has already moved beyond sketches.
Nissan needs traction in North America. During the first quarter, Nissan Group deliveries in the US fell 7.5% to 247k units. More than 234k of those came from Nissan itself, where the decline reached 7.7%.
Passenger cars continue to weaken. Maxima has already left the lineup. Sentra is still building volume, or facing pressure after a 34.5% sales drop. Versa and Altima are also losing ground.
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