Nissan NZ says goodbye to Pathfinder, Juke. Hello to Frontier?

Damien O’Carroll

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  • Nissan New Zealand has confirmed the departure of the Pathfinder SUV.
  • The Juke and Ariya are also being canned, while the new Leaf is on 'indefinite hold'.
  • The Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid Ute looks likely for us, however.

Nissan New Zealand is undergoing a significant product portfolio transformation, with several established models exiting the market to make way for a more focused, electrified future.

This range overhaul, spearheaded by a departing senior executive Andrew Humberstone, aims to secure long-term sustainability and adapt to evolving market demands.

Nissan New Zealand has announced that it is dropping the seven-seat Frontier.

As a result, the Pathfinder large SUV and the Juke compact crossover are officially being discontinued in New Zealand.

According to Humberstone, the decision to stop importing the Pathfinder was primarily driven by its US-based manufacturing and the absence of a future hybrid or electrified variant.

The Pathfinder’s US production and lack of any form of electrification in its future sealed its fate in NZ.

“With Pathfinder, as amazing a product as it is, there's no future PHEV or hybrid version coming. So we might as well look for alternatives," he said, speaking to New Zealand media at the launch event for the new Pathfinder ute in Canberra this week.

Humberstone said that he confirmed the news of the Pathfinder’s departure to dealers last week, also confirming that the Juke was also deemed to be at the "end of its life" in the our market.

In the EV space, Humberstone said that the all-electric Leaf has been on "indefinite hold" due to the highly competitive nature of that segment, while the Ariya EV has been shelved following direct feedback from the dealer network.

The new generation LEaf has been placed on ‘indefinite hold’ for New Zealand.

”I said to them, if you don't want it, it's not coming back," Humberstone commented on the decision, noting that the Ariya was particularly hamstrung by the National govenrment’s scrapping of the Clean Car Discount.

But while some longstanding models depart, new opportunities are on the horizon, with Humberstone saying that Nissan is actively "looking at what we're doing in the ute market", with a significant announcement expected very soon.

”What it probably will be announced soon in the next two weeks is probably more on the ute side," the he revealed, hinting at a potential new hybrid offering, most likely to be the Chinese-built collaboration between Nissan and Dongfeng, the Nissan Frontier Pro PHEV.

The Frontier Pro is likely to be headed our way to directly take on the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha in the PHEV ute market.

Nissan introduced the Frontier Pro 12 months ago at the Shanghai Auto Show. Developed in partnership with Zhengzhou Nissan, the Frontier Pro is built on a shared platform with the Dongfeng Z9, and is entirely distinct from the North American Frontier and the new Navara.

Much like the popular BYD Shark 6 ute, the Frontier Pro is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine and electric motors to produce a combined output exceeding 300kW and 800Nm, with Nissan saying it will have an electric-only range of up to 135km on the CLTC cycle.

The Frontier Pro also packs an electromechanical rear differential lock and 6kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability.

The Frontier Pro is Nissan’s first collaboration with Dongfeng and is built in China for a global market.

Production of the Frontier Pro began in China in late 2025 as part of Nissan's broader strategy to release nine new energy vehicles in that market by 2027, and the company also stated that it intended to ute to have a “global presence”.

While Humberstone wouldn’t confirm that the Frontier Pro was a done deal for the New Zealand and Australian market, he said that an announcement surrounding the mystery model would be made in the next few weeks.