Nissan to study on a Ford Ranger Raptor rival

Ford has just launched a Ranger Raptor. It's powered by a diesel engine and only offered overseas, though there are strong hints we'll eventually see it here, and with a gasoline engine in tow.

The excitement surrounding the vehicle hasn't gone unnoticed at Nissan, which will study the possibility of launching a Ranger Raptor rival based on its global NP300 Navara, the mid-size pickup truck that also forms the basis of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class and Renault Alaskan.

The information was revealed by the man in charge of light commercial vehicles at the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance, Ashwani Gupta, during an interview with Motoring published on Thursday.

“If you would had asked me this question yesterday [about a Ranger Raptor rival] I would have said this is not in our priority list,” he said. “But if you are asking this question today then I am saying this is an opportunity we would like to study.”

Gupta said enhancing the NP300 Navara's chassis for greater performance would be straight forward but finding a suitable powertrain would require more study. Other important issues Gupta pointed out that need addressing include whether there's enough for demand for the vehicle to warrant the cost of development, and how long would it take to get to market.

Should Nissan go ahead with a high-performance NP300 Navara, there's a sliver of chance we'll see it here. Nissan has confirmed a new Frontier for the United States and there's the possibility the new pickup will be twinned with the global NP300 Navara.