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Work on Nissan's first-ever Patrol Warrior continues, with the brand to finally launch the home-grown hero variant in 2023.
And in good news for those already in the queue for the regular version of Nissan's Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series rival, the brand has assured customers that the locally developed special edition won't impact delivery dates for existing customers, even as the Patrol waiting time continues to grow.
The Patrol will be the third model, and the second vehicle, to undergo the Warrior treatment, with the Navara now available in PRO-4X Warrior and SL Warrior guises.
"We've confirmed it, and we're going to bring it to market as fast as possible," says Nissan Australia chief, Adam Paterson.
"We're all still trying to finalise the exact specification, but as soon as all those specifics are landed upon we'll then be able to give you a better timeframe," he said.
The brand won't be drawn on timing specifics, but we'd expect to see the new Patrol Warrior debut around the middle of 2023, largely to give the new model as much clear air as possible before talk shifts to the all-new Y63 Patrol.
In terms of supply, Mr Paterson suggests the Warrior conversion program won't add to the wait time of the regular Patrol model. Instead, he says demand for the Patrol Warrior will convince Nissan HQ to deliver more "donor cars" to undergo the conversion process and meet demand.
"Generally speaking, we have an order bank for Patrol," he says, "This is gonna be the best Patrol year that we've had ever for Y62, and we could have done more because we've got a significant order bank for it, as well. But that's not slowing down the development of the (Warrior) program.
"We expect there to be demand for that product as well, right? So if we expect a volume lift then we are able to procure donor cars.
"We hope to be able to procure more, and take the overall Patrol volume up. But if we can't lift it as high as we'd like, that doesn't slow down the Warrior program. We still want to convert and be able to offer that product to Australians. We would just change the mix at that point."
The Patrol Warrior won't welcome power or torque upgrades to the standard Patrol's 298kW/560Nm 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine, with there Warrior to instead introduce enhanced off-road capabilities, and improved on-road dynamics.
“Developed and tested by Premcar to meet the harshest of Aussie conditions, the already highly capable Nissan Patrol Warrior will be exclusive to Australia and will feature wheel, tyre and suspension enhancements,” Nissan Australia has confirmed.
"Together, the carefully considered and locally tuned modifications will deliver a Patrol with improved ground clearance, a wider stance and improved ride and handling.
“Premcar’s development program is expected to take around 12 months to complete and is such a large project that it will involve additional recruitment, expansion and investment by Premcar.”
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