Tekton will debut in South Africa next year as the replacement for the Qashqai and above the Magnite.
The topic of considerable speculation since being announced last year, Nissan has officially released the clearest images to date of its incoming Renault Duster-based new SUV.
Not Terrano
Confirmed to arrive in South Africa next year as part of an eventual five-model range currently consisting of the Magnite and X-Trail, the newcomer will be called Tekton which Nissan says references the Greek word for “craftsman” or “architect”.
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Seen on two separate occasions this year undergoing testing in India, the Tekton will be joined later by a second rebadged model based on the Renault Bigster, itself a spin-off from the Dacia Bigster sold in Europe.
Until now known as the “two-row” SUV with the Bigster version being called the “three-row”, the Tekton forms part of Nissan’s “On Car, On World” global strategy, with production set to take place at the Chennai plant that currently produces the Kwid, Kiger, Triber an Magnite.
Nissan look
The same factory that will also manufacture the Bigster version, as well as the actual Renault Bigster itself, the Tekton will ride on the same CMF-B platform as the Duster, and incorporate styling elements from the Y63 Patrol.
As seen in the original teaser last year, the Tekton’s visual differences from the Duster include a Nissan specific grille, C-shaped LED headlights, a new front bumper and air intake, and a restyled bonnet complete with a block Tekton name script.
At the rear, the changes are subtle and comprise a new bumper, a Tekton name badge running the full width of the tailgate and a central LED light bar that connects the new C-shaped light clusters.
While no interior images were revealed, the Tekton’s adapations from the Duster are expected to be slight.
Petrol only
Equally unknown are the choices of engines, however, they will likely mirror those of the Renault version rather than the Dacia.
This means the same Daimler co-developed 1.3-litre turbo-petrol and the mild-hybrid 1.2-litre turbo-petrol. As with the Duster, the Tekton won’t be privy to a turbodiesel engine option.
Transmissions are expected to consist of a six-speed manual or a seven-speed EDC, with a further choice being front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Coming to South Africa
Set to be detailed later, the Tekton, as mentioned, has already been approved for South Africa, where it will slot-in above the Magnite as the replacement for the Qashqai, but below the Bigster version that will be positioned below the X-Trail.
The introduction of the Patrol later will then complete Nissan’s SUV range.
“[These] products will be Nissan’s answer to the Chinese competition in South Africa. We believe [India] is a good source to bring a competitive and technologically advanced response to the market,” Nissan Managing Director for South Africa and Independent African Markets, Maciej Klenkiewicz, told the media at the unveiling of the facelift Magnite in Cape Town last year.
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