New Nissan NX8 electric SUV being prepped for UK launch

Nissan wants a new halo model for Europe and the NX8 electric SUV recently unveiled in China is in the frame, Auto Express can reveal. 

Engineered and manufactured in partnership with Dongfeng, the Nissan NX8 is a big SUV that would dwarf Europe’s two biggest Nissan passenger cars, the electric Ariya and petrol-electric X-Trail. Measuring 4,870mm-long, the NX8 sits between the BMW X3 and X5 in size, and has a 2,917mm wheelbase liberating plenty of space and rear legroom.

The NX8 travels up to 650km (404 miles) on the Chinese test cycle. Europe’s WLTP regulation is more taxing, but the rear-wheel drive SUV should be good for in excess of 300 miles – if the business case stacks up.  

“We’re studying the potential of the SUV for Europe,” European vice president Jordi Vila told Auto Express during an exclusive chat in Japan. “We did not take a decision [yet]. But we believe this size of SUV would complement our line-up very well.”

The NX8 is packed with technology: sensor-equipped seats use AI to adapt to an occupant’s physiology, electronic dampers are designed to head-off car sickness, there’s a Qualcomm chip for ultrafast processing and an 800-volt architecture promising a 10 to 80 per cent DC charge in a remarkable 12 minutes.  

“It has a lot of connectivity and technology, which I think is very interesting, because it [shows] Nissan’s ability to bring tech and innovation into our vehicles,” said Vila. “This is the value we see for Europe.”

Vila’s team is studying the NX8 for the UK too, where Nissan’s two biggest SUVs kick off at around £38,000. Number crunchers are scrutinising the target audience and potential price bands. But even if the new NX8 started closer to £45,000, it would still offer compelling tech for the money. “I think it’s an absolutely awesome, higher end car,” enthused Vila.

Although he sounds very confident the NX8 will get the green light, there are hurdles to be cleared first. The car will need to be crash-tested as part of the homologation process, and the driver assistance systems, connectivity and software prepped to European and UK standards. 

“From a mission standpoint, there is zero problem, but there are always very technical elements of regulation that we need to meet,” he told us. “The decision can come relatively soon, but the timeline for bringing it to Europe, we cannot tell now. We’ll try to be relatively fast, but that’s going to be part of the study.”

It sounds like Nissan will gun for 2027, but the project may well slip into 2028. The SUVs will be imported from China, rather than production being established on this continent.

The Nissan-Dongfeng joint-venture also produces two big saloons, the N6 plug-in hybrid and the N7 EV. But they are unlikely to make the trip across the ocean.

“We see less space for sedans, classic sedans. We had that in the past but the market shrank a lot. There are still a few, but it’s relatively niche. And, from our analysis, these vehicles are very long with a long wheelbase,” concluded the European VP. 

Get even more from Auto Express, follow our channels...
• Google
• Reddit 
• Whatsapp