The Nissan Vision event was, for once, something more than a series of slides designed to keep shareholders from jumping out of boardroom windows. The perennially “struggling” Japanese giant claims its long-winded turnaround plan is finally entering its sunset phase, and to celebrate, they’ve decided that “less is more”. The “less” includes a V6-powered adventure SUV and a Skyline that simply refuses to go into the light. While the inevitable marketing jargon regarding AI was present, the actual substance suggests that Nissan might have finally found the “on” switch in the design studio.
For those of us in North America who haven’t felt a genuine pulse from Nissan’s SUV lineup lately, the official return of the Xterra is like a shot of adrenaline to the heart. We’re talking a proper body-on-frame, V6-toting beast (with a hybrid option) starting around the $40,000 mark. It’s a direct challenge to the enthusiast market and a likely donor for a more expensive Infiniti twin. Meanwhile, Europe is being handed a fully electric Juke alongside a global rollout for the Rogue (X-Trail) Hybrid e-Power.
But the real conversation starter is the 14th-generation Skyline. Set to debut for its 70th anniversary next year, the V38 is Nissan’s way of proving they haven’t entirely forgotten their heritage.
However, early indications and CGI masters like Theottle suggest this “new” Skyline will be more of a heavy-duty facelift than a ground-up revolution. We’re looking at a strategy that keeps the existing V37’s roofline, glass, and pillars, but wraps them in a “retro-modern” aesthetic. It’s essentially a factory-sanctioned restomod.
By recycling the current platform and grafting on a fresh, heritage-inspired face, Nissan is betting that our collective love for the GT-R’s ancestor will blind us to the fact that the bones are nearly a decade old. If the Infiniti Q50 equivalent makes it to American shores with this retro skin, we might just forgive the recycled silhouette.
