Nissan is Considering Its Own Ranger Raptor Competitor

Nissan‘s Australian division is urging the automaker to create a Ford Ranger Raptor fighter.

According to Australia’s Motoring, Renault-Nissan global light commercial vehicle boss, Ashwani Gupta, has admitted the company will look into the idea of a Ford Ranger Raptor competitor after speaking with Nissan Australia MD Stephen Lester and his team. “If you would have asked me this question yesterday [about a Raptor rival] I would have said this is not in our priority list,” Gupta said. “But if you are asking this question today then I am saying this is an opportunity we would like to study.” The idea of the concept came after Gupta met with Lester and his team in Australia.

SEE ALSO: 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor Arrives With 210 HP Diesel, Off-Road Ready Suspension

While Gupta remained confident that the Navara would work as a high-performance model, the question is which powertrain it would adopt. A possibility is the 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel V6 engine used in the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, which is based on the Nissan Navara. “We have every technology to do that,” explained Gupta. “The question is we study and if it makes sense for the customer and the business we will do it.”

Like other vehicles under consideration, it would have to make business sense for Nissan to pursue such a variant before it comes to production. Unfortunately since the Nissan Navara isn’t available in the U.S. and diesel engines are losing their appeal, it’s unlikely the model would head to the U.S. if it is produced. But then again, the Ford Ranger is making a return to the U.S., and Nissan could do the same if it green lights the project.

[Source: Motoring]

Discuss this story on our Nissan Navara Forum