Nissan has a solid foothold in the international pickup truck market, with cars such as the Navara enjoying impressive sales figures. The company, which recently revealed its PRO-4X package for the small pickup, has now revealed that it could possibly bring an even smaller and more affordable product to the market to compete with cars such as the Hyundai Santa Cruz, and Ford's Maverick, which is positioned below the Ford Ranger. With the next-generation Navara due to break cover in 2024, Nissan is eager to get the ball rolling on a global light truck, especially considering the fact that the new Navara will be significantly larger than the D40 Navara/Frontier.

The fact that the next Navara will cost more, and will be offered in a Ford Ranger Raptor-style hardcore variant means that there is more than enough space below it for an affordable truck. Speaking with Cars Guide, Nissan Motor Company senior vice-president for global planning Ivan Espinosa says "we're always looking at the market and constantly monitoring trends as well as customer behaviour." The right-hand-drive market is currently showing positive growth trends, and as of October 1, Nissan's global market structure has changed, which sees the Australian market join the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania (AMIEO) group, which quadruples the sales potential of the car.

"This opportunity exists in some markets globally. Thinking of the evolution of trucks, customer wishes and regulatory trends will be demanding lighter vehicles that are more fuel-efficient. One way of solving that is through electrification, but the other is working on mass reduction. As we said, we are constantly looking at the market and exploring different alternatives," Espinosa concluded. With a sterling reputation for building tough pickups, Nissan should see healthy sales figures, but it is still uncertain if North America will ever see this new pickup offering.