The Nissan NX8 SUV has been launched in China as a Toyota Kluger-sized large SUV with five seats and a choice of electric and extended-range electric powertrains.
Due on sale in China during the second half of 2026, it’s the third model from the Nissan N Series, joining the N6 hybrid sedan and the N7 electric sedan that debuted this year.
Nissan also offers the Frontier Pro ute, a BYD Shark 6 rival developed by Chinese joint venture partner Dongfeng and confirmed for an Australian release in 2027.
The NX8’s pricing and full specifications for its China launch are yet to be announced.
Reports from CarNewsChina suggest the Chinese-made N Series models could be exported to the Middle East and Southeast Asia – potentially including Australia.
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Given the popularity of SUVs in Australia – with SUVs having been the largest-selling segment here for almost a decade – the NX8 appears a far stronger candidate for local showrooms, but Nissan Australia hasn’t confirmed whether the model will be sold here.
The electric version could complement or replace the Nissan Ariya, launched here in September after being on sale overseas since 2020, with its local arrival prompted by stricter emissions regulations.
There’s also a NX8 extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) which differs from Nissan’s existing e-Power series hybrids by having the ability to be plugged in.
The e-Power powertrain currently soldin the X-Trail and the smaller Qashqai SUV in Australia cannot be plugged in and uses the petrol engine to charge the battery, instead of sending drive to the wheels.
Developed with Dongfeng like the Frontier Pro, the 4870mm NX8 is slightly longer than the X-Trail, currently the brand’s most popular model sold here.
The NX8 drapes its X-Trail-sized body over a longer 2917mm wheelbase – 17mm more than the seven-seat Pathfinder’s – and is 1920mm wide and 1680mm tall.
It’s the first of the N Series to use an 800V version of the Tianyan platform shared by the trio.
Both EV and EREV versions use a new-generation lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) ‘Yundun’ battery from CATL, developed and packaged by Nissan, which supports 5C ultra-fast charging.
Battery sizes for the EREV – which uses a 109kW 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and a 195kW electric motor – are yet to be confirmed, along with official range figures.
The electric NX8 uses a single motor with a choice of two outputs: 215kW and 250kW.
Like other N Series models – and the Frontier Pro – the NX8 may use the HarmonyOS Cockpit, featuring a 15.6-inch touchscreen running the Huawei HarmonyOS (operating system) with AI-powered search functions.
Driver-assist systems include LiDAR-based tech – recently dropped by safety stalwart Volvo – with automatic parking capability and ‘Navigation on Autopilot’ (NOA) autonomous driving.
At the Shanghai motor show in April 2025, Nissan – one of several Japanese automakers struggling with slow sales in China – said it planned 10 ‘new energy vehicles’ (NEVs) by mid-2027.
The NEV term is used in China to describe electrified vehicles – meaning all types of hybrids, as well as battery-electric vehicles – in a single group.
The announcement said the product rollout will see the number of Nissan-badged NEVs grow from five to nine, led by the N Series and Frontier Pro, which it said it’s developing at ‘China speed’.
Nissan’s sales in China are down 5.4 per cent year-on-year according to the company’s latest figures covering January to the end of October 2025 – but it has posted bigger slides in the UK and US of 8.8 per cent and 10.7 per cent respectively.
The Japanese brand dropped out of the global top ten best-selling auto brands earlier this year with its worst results since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, following significant financial losses. It’s closing several manufacturing plants.
In Australia, Nissan’s year-to-date slide of 18.7 per cent has seen all models decline apart from the low-volume Pathfinder.
Across all Japanese brands in Australia, only Honda and Lexus have posted growth in 2025.
Last month, Nissan debuted the new Navara ute, the first to be twinned with the Mitsubishi Triton, which may give the brand’s sales a lift ahead of the launch of the new Patrol off-roader and the next Leaf EV.