Nissan’s Xterra Returning With Sub-$40k Price Tag

Nissan Xterra fans continue to enjoy good news. The latest being the automaker aims to bring back the off-roader with a starting price less than $40,000. That should help Nissan meet its goal of selling 50,000 of the utes annually.

“That’s a challenge, but we are going to get it done,” Nissan Americas Chairman  Christian Meunier told Automotive News.

Earlier this month, Nissan released the first of what is expected to be many teaser pics of the affordable SUV, sowing the seeds of excitement — and open checkbooks. However, Nissan officials aren’t just rolling out a sentimental relic, there’s been plenty of though put into the next revived model coming for the 2028 model year.

The three-row midsize ute will be built at Nissan’s plant in Canton, Mississippi, featuring V6 and V6 hybrid powertrain options. And the body-on-frame underpinning will be used for more than just the next X … terra. The next variation of the Nissan Frontier and the Xterra’s luxury cousin, the Infiniti QX60 will also benefit from it, Nissan officials told reporters at an event in Japan.

Officials realize that the original set of Xterra buyers were in their 20s and 30s when the first variants came out, and while they likely have more money to spend now, they won’t just throw it around willy nilly to scratch an automotive itch. They’re going to demand more from the next version of the Xterra while still expecting value. 

And while spreading the cost of the body-on-frame structure across multiple vehicle lines will help with the costs, the goal is to give buyers of the model coming late in 2028 a viable off-roader with some comfortable touches. 

There are some vehicles currently on the market that offer a value proposition, but Nissan zeroed in on the Kia Telluride as its benchmark, Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan Americas senior vice president, Chief Product & Planning Officer, told Automotive News.

“We’ve zoned in on an execution for Xterra and a three-row derivative of that vehicle … that will really differentiate it in this space,” Pandikuthira said.

[Images: Nissan]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by  subscribing to our newsletter.