Nissan Could Build A Fully Electric “Lifestyle” Compact Pickup Truck

As Nissan electrifies its range and small pickups are becoming a trend in the US market, it could expand its range with a fully electric model to sit below the mid-size Frontier and rival the rumored EV version of the Ford Maverick.

Data from IHS Markit suggest that the sales of small pickups including the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz are expected to grow to 99,000 units in 2023. Nissan is no stranger to compact pickups, being one of the forerunners who introduced the segment in the US market with the Datsun models in the ’60s. Getting aboard early on would allow it to potentially grasp a bigger portion of that pie.

Speaking to Automotive News, Nissan’s vice president of sales and regional operations in the US, Judy Wheeler, didn’t confirm the rumors but didn’t deny them either: “There’s all kinds of things under discussion. I don’t know that there is any serious discussion there at this point. I could see that coming [speaking about an electric compact pickup]. The pickup area is kind of interesting. There will be a consumer that’s looking more for a lifestyle vehicle that they can put in the gear in and go off-roading.”

As a member of the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi alliance, the Japanese automaker has access to a number of electric platforms – like the CMF-EV – which could easily serve as the base for the rumored compact pickup. The company has pledged to only launch electrified new models in key markets like the US by 2030, so it is natural that we are going to see more BEVs in the coming years.

The CMF-EV platform underpinning the Nissan Ariya could serve as a base for the rumored EV pickup

While the Nissan Titan is far behind the competition in the full-size pickup segment with a 1.5 percent share, a smaller offering would have a better chance of competing with the fewer and less established rivals.