Automotive manufacturer Nissan Africa has announced expansions and upgrades to its Navara range, aligned to business and customer demands, as the company looks to use this to underpin its growth ambitions in Africa.

The announcement was made at a Nissan Navara media event, held on September 18 at the Rhino and Lion Park, in Krugersdorp.

Speaking at the event, Nissan Africa president Jordi Vila explained that the Japan-headquartered group was currently in its “Arc” stage, which ran from this year to 2026, and entailed driving value through growth.

He pointed out that Nissan Africa’s growth was a key pillar of Arc, with the company looking to invest more in the continent, grow its reach here, expand its footprint in North Africa, pursue volume growth in major markets, introduce refreshed models and augment its exports across the region and potentially further abroad.

Vila highlighted that growing the volume of vehicles produced in South Africa was core to this growth strategy.

Nissan South Africa and Independent Markets Africa MD Maciej Klenkiewicz explained that the company’s Rosslyn production plant, which had been entrenched in the country for over six decades, was the production hub for the continent, and the home for the entire range of Navara, with models produced for South Africa as well as to export specifications.

He informed that the company would build on its previous investment of R3-billion into the plant in 2021, which was done to start production of the Navara range.

It would also be moving its Nissan head office from Rosslyn to Centurion in about a month’s time in preparation for future growth.

Klenkiewicz said Navara would remain a flagship product for Africa, with new deliverables and specifications.

Expanding on this, Nissan Africa product marketing GM Isa Giunta told Engineering News that these expansions and upgrades were in response to opportunities the company had identified in the market, as well as in response to specifications requested from customers.

As alluded to, the Rosslyn plant started producing Navara for the African market in 2021, and Guinta highlighted that it had since been well received by the market. The company was now moving forward with its range expansion and looking to grow its footprint in the region.

As part of its Navara 2025 range expansion, it would be launching firstly, a new XE Grade double cab, specifically built for fleets, offering everything a fleet customer or businessperson required, and at a very good price point, Guinta averred.

The new model will carry the Navara XE badge, and it will be available with the same engine as its counterparts but tuned to its mid-level performance. It will also be available with the choice of rear-wheel 4 x 2 or 4 x 4 drivetrains.

One change in the new model is the inclusion of leaf spring rear suspension, a departure from the coil spring set-up used in other Navara double cab models.

This will allow the XE models to better handle tough conditions and heavy loads, offering a load capacity of 1 148 kg on the 4 x 2 model (the highest in the double cab range) and 1 067 kg on the 4 x 4 model.

The company was currently completing the final production ramp-up for this model, and it was slated to be ready by October, and available from all dealers by November, Guinta informed.

Secondly, it would be launching a new LE Grade double cab, which Guinta said offered the correct specs and prices for the family market, an area in which the company had identified opportunities.

This would include new high-quality fabric seats and more Nissan intelligent technology features, Guinta outlined.

It would be available to the market from late October or early November, Guinta said.

Meanwhile, upgrades are also being pursued in response to customer specifications and will be available from January 2025.

This includes new audio for the SE Grade single cab, and central locking for the XE Grade single cab.

The SE & SE Plus double cab will have new audio, and the LE Plus double cab will have a roof rail.

The company would also be implementing a new Nissan badge across the Navara range, Guinta said. This entailed a modern version of the logo that featured the Nissan brand in the heart of the Rising Sun of Japan.

Nissan will manufacture the new Navara range for over 45 markets in Africa, including left-hand-drive markets, at Rosslyn.  

AFRICAN-DESIGNED AND TESTED

Guinta acclaimed that the Navara range for Africa had been designed specifically for the market, with specialists going into the region, testing the different road conditions and customer usage, and then engineering a car that catered to the specific severity requirements.

One example that encapsulates this is the use of high tensile steel in the hood ledge, with Guinta noting that this feature is unique for the African market, providing pothole impact durability.

To test the Navara’s durability and reliability, Nissan undertook the “Daring Africa 2024” expedition, which entailed journeying over 8 000 km, across eight countries on the continent, in four Nissan Navara pick-ups and an X-Trail sports utility vehicle.

The expedition began in South Africa, with vehicles produced here, traversing through Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya and culminating with the finish in Egypt last week.

This synchronised with the launch of the Navara to the Egyptian market, with the company currently undertaking a significant expansion into North Africa to build on its strong sub-Saharan African presence.

“For Nissan, you have to experience it. Whether you are in the market for a car or not, I encourage people to leverage our adventure club, do 4 x 4 courses, or test drive vehicles at any Nissan dealerships,” Guinta averred.

In this vein, the event also included the opportunity to test drive Navara models, which showcased its durability, reliability, and adaptability in challenging off-road conditions and across varying terrains in the park, and how the features have been designed for the region’s conditions.

The company is also pursuing innovations on its Nissan Magnite range, which are set to be announced in the near future.