From Carsales/Carpoint
http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/large-4x4/nissan/patrol/patrol-diesel-coming-to-an-end-43693?R=43693&Cr=2&surl=aHR0cDovL2VkaXRvcmlhbHN5c3RlbS5jYXJzYWxlcy5jb20uYXUvRGVza3RvcERlZmF1bHQuYXNweD9Ocz1wX0RhdGVBdmFpbGFibGVfRGF0ZVRpbWUlN0MxJk49Mjk4MSs0Mjk0OTY3MjgxKzQyOTQ5NjcyNzkmVGFiSUQ9MjIwODc4NiZRcGI9MSZzaWQ9MTNENUJGMTBENUZEJk5uZT0xNQ..
No replacement engine in sight for Nissan's biggest off-roader, despite local lobbying
Nissan Australia appears certain to spend years without a diesel-powered Patrol SUV in its line-up.
And the solution to the problem may only come as India’s new vehicle market accelerates and provides economies of scale for a right-hand drive large diesel four-wheel drive wagon business case.
New Nissan Australia boss Richard Emery has confirmed to motoring.com.au the Y61 Patrol – which launched here in 1997 and was dropped from most global markets by 2013 – “is coming to an end”, and there is no prospect of a diesel engine for its successor, the Y62, any time soon.
The luxurious Y62 was launched only with a V8 petrol engine because it was primarily developed for the Middle East and the USA, where diesel has little cut-through.
Despite bullish sales projections it has failed to fire in Australia, leaving the Toyota LandCruiser to dominate the segment because diesel engines are overwhelmingly preferred by large SUV buyers.
The Y61 was retained to give Nissan SUV buyers a diesel option, but its age and encroaching emissions legislation will soon kill it, although it will survive through to 2015 at least.
With the new Pathfinder available only in petrol and petrol-electric hybrid forms, the most likely source for a Nissan diesel 4WD wagon larger than an X-TRAIL will be the mooted Toyota Prado rival based on the next-generation Navara one-tonne ute.
Nissan’s global product boss Andy Palmer told motoring.com.au at the New
York motor show that a Cummins V8 diesel was a possibility for the Y62 Patrol as it was being developed for the next Titan pick-up truck.
But Emery, who met with Palmer last week in Japan and was briefed on Nissan’s future model plans, said a diesel Patrol was still years away and may not come until the next generation.
“The only assurance I have from him (Palmer) is that he is
well aware we need a diesel for Australia and that we would remain desirous of that and the next Patrol is probably not due for another five or six years,” Emery said.
“He understands that Patrol is an iconic brand for us in Australia and it is important for us. Irrespective of the volume it’s an important stake in the ground. So we would like to have a strong Patrol business and that means it needs to be diesel.
“I think he understand that. He also needs to find that diesel solution for other markets and not just for us as the world goes on.”
And that is where India comes in, as affluence grows in the world's most populous right-hand drive vehicle market.
“The fact India is coming on stream means there is hope for right-hand drive markets because cars are going to get developed in right-hand drive from day one, something which was drifting away over the last four or five years.
“As Indians become more affluent, their choice of product line-up is going to broaden, so it doesn’t matter if India only says ‘oh yeah we might take some Patrols, we don’t need many’. But then their ‘not many’ is probably a lot compared with what we would take. I think things will shift.”
Once Y61 finishes, Emery made it clear the Y62 Patrol petrol wagon would not be dropped from the line-up -- even if it comprised only a few sales per month – because of its image value for Nissan.
He said some other slow selling models would be culled though.
“Sometimes… there’s a global car designed and it doesn’t fit the context of the Australian circumstance,” Emery said.
“So admit it doesn’t fit – like an $85,000 Patrol that doesn’t have diesel or sat-nav.
“We'll be honest with yourself that it is not going to beat LandCruiser, but it might do 20 cars a month and that’s a good result – or whatever the result needs to be.”
Sounds like Nissan are throwing in the towel for large diesel 4x4's. What a pitty we never got organised with our once thriving car manufacturing industry to make a 4x4 here to export all around the world.