Nissan’s plug-in hybrid ute spotted on Sydney roads as testing widens

Nissan’s plug-in hybrid ute has been photographed on public roads in Sydney’s south, the latest sighting in an Australian test programme that has been running since the first camouflaged Frontier Pro was unloaded in Melbourne in June, and a further sign the Shark 6 rival is on course for a 2027 launch on both sides of the Tasman.

The Kirrawee sighting was posted to the EV Vehicles for Australia Facebook group by Matthew Vasilescu, with the question “what’s your best guess?”. Prototypes in vinyl camouflage were also photographed on Victorian roads last week. Nissan has not publicly confirmed the model for Australia or New Zealand, but revealed it to dealers from both countries at a gala dinner in Adelaide last November, and Nissan Oceania managing director Andrew Humberstone hinted at a hybrid ute for New Zealand when speaking to our sister outlet NZ Autocar in March.

The Frontier Pro is not a Navara derivative. It is built on Dongfeng’s Z9 platform by Nissan’s Chinese joint venture and was shown at the Shanghai motor show in April 2025 as the brand’s first global plug-in hybrid. A 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine pairs with a transmission-mounted electric motor for a combined 300kW and 800Nm in the figures Nissan has used for Australia, with a 33kWh battery giving up to 135km of electric range on China’s CLTC cycle and a fuel consumption figure of 6.9L/100km. Towing capacity is 3,500kg braked, wading depth 700mm, and an electro-mechanical rear differential lock and a 6kW vehicle-to-load output are fitted.

Nissan’s corporate executive for product strategy, Richard Candler, told Australian media in April that the market’s requirements for towing and off-road capability were “a bit more severe” than most, and that the car was being examined to ensure it met them. The Australian testing is understood to cover driver assistance calibration at minimum, with suspension tuning also possible given Nissan Australia’s history of local chassis work on the Navara.

Inside, the Chinese-market car carries a 10-inch digital cluster, a 14.6-inch floating touchscreen, a panoramic sunroof and heated, ventilated and massaging front seats. Australian and New Zealand specification has not been settled.

The Frontier Pro would be the first plug-in hybrid ute from a Japanese brand in New Zealand, entering a segment that saw the Shark 6 finish fourth among all utes in August, gained the $58,990 GWM Cannon Hi4-T last week, has Ford’s range-extender Bronco due next year and Leapmotor hinting at a ute of its own. Nissan New Zealand has not confirmed timing. The brand’s next electric arrival here is a different matter: the Leaf Nismo we drove in Japan is one Nissan NZ has said is not coming.