Based on the Renault Duster, the Tekton will make its South African market arrival later this year.
Tekton will make its world debut on 9 July in Mumbai. Picture: Nissan India
Ahead of its 9 July global reveal, Nissan India has released the clearest teaser to date of the incoming new Tekton.
‘Baby Patrol’
Teased on its Instagram page overnight, the short clip shows the Tekton alongside the Y63 Patrol, with the heading “Baby Patrol”.
Until now only seen in a series of darkened images, the newest depiction shows the Tekton with a pronounced boot scoop, upside down L-shaped LED headlights and a horizontal red strip for the central grille bar.
Renault underpinned
Traits supposedly derived from the Patrol, the Tekton, as is well-known by now, is in effect a rebadged version of the Indian-market Renault Duster that will replace the current Romanian-sourced model later this year.
Similar to Gravite, based on the Renault Triber, the Tekton boasts Nissan specific styling, with the still unseen interior likely to differ marginally from the Duster.
Aside from its Duster underpinnings, the Tekton is likely to have the same dimensions, namely:
- Length: 4 343 mm;
- Wheelbase: 2 657 mm;
- Height: 1 669 mm;
- Width: 1 813 mm;
- Ground clearance: 212 mm
Petrol power only, initially
On the power front, Autocar India reports that the initial Tekton range will be restricted to the same pair of petrol engines as the Duster.
This means the 1.0 TCe that makes 74kW/160Nm and the 1.3 TCe co-developed Daimler rated at 118kW/260Nm.
More interestingly, the publication claims the Tekton will only have a six-speed manual gearbox, with the optional seven-speed dual-clutch debuting later as an option solely for the 1.3.
At the same time, the hybrid unit from the Duster has, reportedly, now not been confirmed for the Tekton.
In this instance, the self-charging setup pairs a normally aspirated 1.8-litre petrol engine with a 1.4-kWh battery pack and two electric motors for a total output of 118 kW.
As with the Duster, the Tekton will be front-wheel drive only, however, a four-wheel drive system could still be offered should the French firm approve it.
Coming to South Africa
Well-known by now is that the Tekton has been approved for South Africa, with a market unveiling set to take place before the end of 2026.
The indirect replacement for the Qashqai will see the Tekton filling the gap in Nissan’s SUV range between the Magnite and X-Trail, with the Patrol arriving later as the flagship.
The Citizen, meanwhile, will be one of two publications attending the launch in Mumbai on said date.
