Navara Warrior to remain Australian built

NISSAN South Africa officially launched the Navara Pro-4X Warrior last month, becoming the first market outside of Australia to sell the Premcar engineered model.

The vehicle – which is re-engineered as part of a collaboration between Nissan South Africa, Nissan Australia, and Premcar – is honed specifically for the local market, sharing its character, but not necessarily its components, with the Australian-derived original.

Speaking with GoAuto this week, Premcar Australia director Bernie Quinn said differences between global markets spoke to the individuality of customer tastes in the four-wheel drive space, saying the ability to tailor a vehicle to suit those requirements will remain an important strength of the Warrior program.

“There are multiple strategies in place for Navara – the Navara for the South African market is a South African manufactured Navara that we do modify for the South African market, whereas the Navara that we get in Australia is manufactured in Thailand,” he said.

“While it looks much the same, it is quite different. There are multiple differences in specification, for example.

“So, what happens in the Australian market doesn’t automatically happen in the South African market, the Thai market, or the North American market, which uses a different platform again,” he said in referencing the Nissan Frontier.

“The Warrior program is not a one-size-fits-all program,” he told GoAuto.

Indeed, Mr Quinn said the Warrior program is being considered for other international markets, with each likely to offer their own take on the Australian-developed formula.

“There are other markets on the radar, but no, there is nothing I can talk about – yet,” he hinted.

“It (expansion) has been part of our strategy for a while, and the South African venture is the first manifestation of that strategy.

“It’s very exciting for us, and so far, it has been very successful. We’re hoping it is just the first among a bunch of steps that we take.”

When asked whether production of Navara Warrior models for the Australian market would be shifted to Nissan’s South African facility – as is perhaps the case for competitor Walkinshaw – Mr Quinn said it was his preference that the ‘Warrior-ification’ of each model remained within the market in which it is sold.

“Strategically, we will of course look at each project on its merits,” he said.

“There is a strong need – and it makes a lot of sense for us to produce – Warriors for the Australian market, in Australia; and for various reasons, not the least of them being our very well-honed-in level of efficiency.

“From a business perspective (our Australian operation) is positive, and as far as possible our preference is to have that secondary engineering carried out within that market.

“That is the concept for now, and that is the assumption that I will carry forward until something changes,” he concluded.

GoAuto understands that Premcar will continue to offer the Navara SL Warrior and Pro-4X Warrior until sometime after the new-generation Nissan Navara is launched.

The replacement Navara will leverage Nissan’s alliance partnership with Mitsubishi Motors, essentially seeing it arrive as a re-engineered Triton with Nissan-specific styling and equipment.

The next-generation Navara is slated for global roll-out between April 2026 and March 2027, with the Premcar-enhanced model expected to remain the flagship of the Australian range.