Nissan To Launch New Terra SUV To Rival Toyota Fortuner

Nissan is very close to revealing its new Terra SUV, which will go on sale exclusively in Chinese and other Asian markets. The Terra plays in the segment that is currently dominated by the Toyota Fortuner.

Ahead of the Beijing Motor Show due to be conducted in the month of April, details have emerged of a new SUV by Nissan. The Nissan Terra is a body-on-frame vehicle, whose underpinnings are shared with the company's popular pickup truck: the NP300 Navara. The name Nissan chose for the new car has some legacy attached to it. The company has been producing the much-loved, rough and tough XTerra since 1999. The vehicle saw mass public approval and sold in huge numbers up until 2015 when the company finally ceased production.

Although the new Terra does share the name with the old one, it is not exactly a successor. For starters, it is much bigger and gets a choice of big engines to move its heft. There is a turbocharged 2.3-liter diesel engine on offer, and a twin-turbocharged 2.3-liter diesel as well. The engine produces 190 hp and a generous 450 Nm, which makes for more than decent numbers aboard the old-school SUV.

The Nissan Terra gets a V-motion grille and a simplistic front bumper to offer an aggressive approach angle. It is available in five-seat and seven-seat configurations and shares its hood and mirror caps with its pickup sibling, the Navara. For the price segment the Terra is aimed at, expect the car to be well-appointed on the inside with lots of creature comforts and safety features on offer.

Details are scarce at the moment, but we can expect to have full disclosure when the Nissan Terra bows at the Beijing Motor Show. There is no hiding the fact that with the Terra, Nissan is squarely aiming for the Toyota Fortuner's coveted sales figures, which account for the major chunk in the total sales of SUVs of this segment.