Nissan last week announced a new strategy that sees the launch of 30 new vehicles worldwide over the next three years, seven of which are bound for the USA
The strategy also requires intensified work with partners, especially members of the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance.
Automotive News (subscription required) reported last week that Nissan will collaborate with Mitsubishi on several new vehicles for North America, including a jointly developed one-ton pickup that will be built in Mexico. It’s unclear whether the pickup will be one of seven vehicles Nissan will launch in the U.S. over the next three years.
Mitsubishi hasn’t announced any new products for the U.S., but producing the pickup in Mexico would allow the automaker to sell it here without the exorbitant tariffs its current Triton midsize pickup would face if sold here.
The new pickup will likely launch with gasoline engines, but Automotive News reported that plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains are being considered. Both Nissan and Mitsubishi have separately said they are working on electric trucks, with Nissan even launching the Surf-Out Electric Truck Concept in 2021.
Elsewhere, Nissan will launch its first plug-in hybrid in the US using powertrain technology supplied by Mitsubishi. In return, Mitsubishi will gain EV technology from Nissan, according to Automotive News.
Nissan and Honda also announced in March that they are investigating a partnership in the areas of electric vehicles and software development, although no details about potential products were mentioned.
Cash-strapped electric vehicle startup Fisker It was also rumored to be in talks with Nissan about collaborating on an electric truck for the US, although those talks are no longer happening. Fisker previously said it was in talks with a major OEM about an investment deal, believed to be Nissan, but in a regulatory filing last week the California company said it was no longer in talks with the OEM.