Nissan has always had a hand in the rugged off-road SUV market, but fans were disappointed when one of its best contenders, the Nissan Xterra was discontinued in the US market after the 2015 model year. This means that Nissan does not sell any body-on-frame SUVs in the US. Some bittersweet news came in November last year when Nissan announced the 2021 Nissan Xterra for the Middle East market. This car is a facelift of the Nissan Terra but still makes us green with envy. It turns out that Nissan dealers share our feelings, and are now calling on Nissan to bring the car to North American shores.

With retro off-roaders such as the Ford Bronco causing a renaissance in the market, dealers believe that a new X-Terra could be a great sales success, with numbers as big as 70,000 to 80,000 annual sales projected. As with the GT-R, Nissan employees believe that a new Xterra could help build the brand, and lead to more interest in the brand as a whole. "At a time many automakers might be combing through corporate archives for off-road vehicles from long ago, Nissan finds credibility almost right in front of it with the Xterra," says Tyson Jominy, vice president of data and analytics at J.D. Power, further highlighting this great opportunity for Nissan.

Nissan still faces some serious financial challenges, but things are starting to look up for the Japanese manufacturer, giving it the opportunity to look at expanding its lineup. The company did however dismiss the idea of bringing the Chinese Terra to the US. The upcoming Bronco, and continuing success of Jeep and rival Japanese brand Toyota in the affordable SUV market will make things difficult for Nissan, but the US SUV market is vast, and a capable off-roader at a lower price point will always be welcomed.