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Nissan set to axe Fortuner-rivalling Terra overseas as sales slip
Terra sales lasted less than a month in following Nissan's surprise decision to axe it in favour of focusing on the Navara.
The Nissan Terra received its current look three years ago. Image: Nissan
Briefly sold in South Africa before being discontinued after less than a month, newly uncovered information from the Philippines has alleged that Nissan is unlikely to renew the Navara-based Terra seven-seat SUV for a second generation due to apparent poorer-than-expected sales.
Nissan Terra: Difficult history
Revealed five years ago as the spiritual successor to the body-on-frame R51 Pathfinder, the Terra benefitted from a midlife overhaul three years ago, which saw it being renamed from Xterra to X-Terra in the Middle East.
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Confirmed, but not by name, for South Africa in 2019 before being assured again the following year, the Terra’s eventual launch went as far as pricing being uncovered and 148 units sold before Nissan South Africa’s abrupt cancellation of imports from the Samut Prakan plant in Thailand.
“We finally made a call that we wanted to prioritise local production in terms of semi-conductor allocation. For us, local production of the Navara as at the core of our strategy and in times like these, you have to give up something to protect something else,” Nissan South Africa’s Marketing Director, Stefan Haasbroek, told The Citizen soon after.
“At this point in time, our focus is Navara. We will to allocate our production capacity and build more Navaras as much as we can until we saturate the market. When we enter that scenario, only then would be look at other models.”
Sales not warranting second generation
In the latest finding, autoindustriya.com reports that bar the Philippines where Terra sales remain high, offset in other Asian nations, including Thailand and China, have fallen below expectations compared to key rivals, the Toyota Fortuner, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Ford Everest.
Marketed as the Paladin in the People’s Republic, the lack of demand and Nissan’s focus on electrification have been cited as likely reasons for the Terra not making it past 2027 once the current generation reaches the end of its lifecycle.
Depending on the market, the Terra offers a choice of three engines; a normally aspirated 2.5-litre petrol developing either 123kW/245Nm or 132kW/251Nm, a 2.3-litre twin-turbodiesel producing 140kW/450Nm or the single-turbo 2.5-litre oil-burner powering the South African-spec Navara with outputs similar to the twin-blown 2.3.
Transmission choices consist of a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic, with four-wheel-drive models featuring the same part-time setup as the Navara, complete with an electronically locking rear differential.
Segment loses another one
Despite Nissan having so far remained mum on the publication’s claims, the supposed departure of the Terra will leave the Pajero Sport, Fortuner, Everest, MU-X and Mahindra Scorpio-N for the foreseeable future as both Volkswagen and Mazda have declined entering the bakkie-based SUV segment with offshoots from the Amarok and BT-50.
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