According to foreign media reports, Nissan said it would stop production and sales of the car in Europe when it shut down its Barcelona plant responsible for producing Navara pickups later this year because of the shrinking pickup market.
Nissan said in an emailed statement, "when our Barcelona plant is officially closed in December 2021, the production of the current generation of Navara pickup trucks for the European market will also end, and sales will end in 2022. This reflects the shrinking European pickup market and the shift of many consumers from pickups to our modern efficient vans. "
Nissan's Thai factory, which exports Navara pickups to markets such as Australia, could have chosen to import Navara, from its Thai factory to Europe, but Nissan Europe has decided not to import a modified version of the Thai-made Navara launched last year.
Nissan's decision marks the end of the Navara model that helped transform the European pickup market. The second-generation Navara, launched in 2005, is the key to transforming pickups from niche models to more attractive models. Previously, most pickup models sold in Europe were crowded, noisy and uncomfortable, but Nissan Navara pickups added passenger space and luxury features on high-end models, including satellite navigation, climate control and leather seats. The chassis of this model is the same as the Pathfinder SUV, which is also sold in Europe.
Second-generation Navara pickups are popular and often challenge Mitsubishi L200, the top-selling model in Europe. The current generation of Navara, launched in 2014, upgrades the same "lifestyle" formula, but this time Nissan is working with alliance partners Renault and Mercedes-Benz to help it expand its manufacturing operations in Europe.
Nissan has been producing Renault Alaskan and Mercedes X-Class models at its Barcelona plant since 2017, but hopes of boosting the European pickup market have been dashed by weak sales. Nissan failed to meet expectations of an increase in demand for pickups, making Toyota and Ford the only two manufacturers to sell large quantities of pickup models in Europe.
