Future Warrior models considered as sales grow

THE business case of further expanding Nissan Australia’s Warrior line-up of Premcar-modified, factory-backed, ready-to-drive off-road vehicles that can be sold, financed and serviced through Nissan dealerships across the country is showing a lot of promise Down Under.

At the recent launch of the third Warrior-branded model – the Patrol Warrior SUV that joins the Navara Pro-4X and SL Warrior utes – Nissan Australia senior manager of local product development Matt Bailey said the importer had its eyes open to opportunities outside of the stalwart four-wheel drive range, considering “every angle” in its bid to make the Warrior nameplate a success.

“We are looking at things (of this nature) all the time, and it comes down to market opportunity, the return on investment we can achieve, and ultimately whether the customer demand is there,” he said.

However, in tempering expectations – and in reiterating the message laid out by Mr Bailey – Nissan Australia managing director Adam Paterson said the importer was mindful not to dilute the Warrior brand by using it freely across models that did not meet the “brand inviolables” that both Nissan and enhancement specialists Premcar had set out.

Those “inviolables” include an increased bandwidth of capability, the ability to evoke emotion, a vehicle that is adapted for Australian conditions, one that has a striking ”ready for action” appearance, a validated and integrated five-year warranty, and that is also adventurous, aspirational and appealing.

“We are building the Warrior brand – and it’s not just a badge. We won’t be running a graphics pack or anything along those lines, and as Matt said, the market opportunity has to present itself,” explained Mr Paterson.

As to whether other SUV models such as the X-Trail or Pathfinder were worthy of wearing the Warrior badge, Mr Paterson said it would ultimately be the customer that makes the decision in proving a strong business case.

“If it met the brand inviolables, if there was a market to get a program off the ground, then sure. But there is a large investment in a program like this, and it simply doesn’t pay off on 50 units. We would need to ensure the business case is there to make it work,” he told GoAuto.

“We will wait to see what market acceptance is, what feedback is, and what changes we could make in the future.”

Mr Paterson told GoAuto the brand inviolables for Warrior would not be diluted irrespective of demand, saying Nissan Australia and Premcar would seek to protect the meaningfulness and capabilities it had set out to achieve under the program.

“If you take a look at how the product has developed since we introduced the Navara N-Trek, there were enhancements and update changes made from one generation to the next, so I think iterative like that, and it (the Warrior program) is far from done,” he hinted.

“We have also added to production over time, which I think shows the popularity of Warrior. The demand is there. And if that demand continues to be there, we will look to continue to satisfy it.”

Indeed, the Nissan/Premcar Warrior program has proven so successful to date that the Melbourne-based facility used to produce the models has expanded its operations with a second line.

It is understood that sales of Warrior-branded Navara and Patrol vehicles are set to double by the year’s end, the additional capacity seeing 17 Navara Warrior models produced per day. Patrol numbers are yet to be confirmed, but Nissan says it is confident the addition of the variant will maintain the sales status quo.

“We think we will see (Patrol) Ti customers stepping up to the Warrior, and some Ti-L customers moving across to the Warrior, but I think with freed-up supply and the offering of a more capable vehicle, I think we have the ability to grow sales as well,” said Mr Bailey.

“We have seen steady growth year after year, and with this enhancement to the line-up, I don’t see why the (sales) numbers won’t continue to grow.”

Mr Paterson, added that the product’s ability to tap into the wants and needs of recreational four-wheel drivers was a particularly strong suit in drawing newcomers to the Warrior brand.

“The Warrior products are specifically designed and engineered for the Australian market … and really what we are looking to do is to tailor vehicles that are absolutely suited to the Australian market,” he detailed.

“In 2019, when the team worked to identify this demand in the market, we started with (Navara) N-Trek, and when we finished sales of that model in 2021 – and what we saw again with Pro-4X and SL Warrior – was that we had doubled the volume of Warriors being sold into that market.

“The expectation is we will more than double our Warrior sales volume this year. This will be our biggest ever year for Warrior in Australia, which is fantastic news, and obviously Patrol Warrior will help us achieve the volumes we have forecast.”