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Nissan recently ended production of the Navara one-tonne bakkie in South Africa after selling its Rosslyn factory near Pretoria to Chinese brand Chery.From the fourth quarter of this year the Navara, which has been built in Rosslyn since 2021, will be imported from Thailand with upgrades including a revised interior. It is the latest update to the current D23 generation Navara that was first launched in 2017, and not the new-generation, Triton-based D27 Navara from alliance partner Mitsubishi that recently went on sale in Australia.In their runout phase, the last of the locally-produced Navaras are being offered at significant discounts to clear inventory before the new model arrives.For instance, double cab Pro-4X 4x4 variants are being advertised at some dealers for as low as R669,900 — a huge saving over the R844,000 recommended retail price. The range-topping Navara Warrior 4x4 is discounted from R924,000 to R759,900 while the Pro-2X 4x2 is reduced from R782,200 to R629,900.Does that make it good time to buy a Navara, or is it better to wait for the updated version? That depends, as Nissan South Africa hasn’t confirmed pricing of the new model range, but Business Day has seen a bulletin recently sent by Nissan to its dealers which confirms that it will have a revamped cabin.The higher models of the upgraded D23 Navara will have more premium interior finishes including orange stitching on the steering wheel and dashboard and a new around view 360° monitor. All models will gain a larger infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality, while the entry-level variant will upgrade from a manual single zone aircon to an automatic dual zone system.The Thai-built Navara's interior has a more premium interior and updated infotainment. (NISSAN) There will be no mechanical changes and the Navara will continue to ride on coil spring rear suspension — an unusual feature in a segment dominated by rear leaf spring suspension and which makes it one of the more comfortable-riding one tonners on the market.The current local range has 20 derivatives including single-cab workhorses and double-cab lifestyle bakkies. In the bulletin sent to dealers, Nissan South Africa confirmed the new imported line-up will continue to be available in both body styles, of which the double cabs will be whittled down to just four models: the SE Plus 4x2 auto, SE Plus 4x2 manual, LE Plus auto 4x4 and Pro-4X 4x4 auto.The engine will continue to be the familiar 2.5l turbo diesel engine with outputs of 140kW and 450Nm when paired with the seven-speed automatic transmission, and 120kW/403Nm with the six-speed manual.The flagship Pro-4X Warrior, which was converted by Australian company Premcar SA at the Rosslyn plant, will not initially be part of the line-up.There will be no exterior styling changes except for new foglamps on the Navara SE Plus, and all-terrain tyres with white lettering on the Pro-4X. The upcoming major restyle being applied to the Navara in Latin America, where it is marketed as the Nissan Frontier, will not be applied to the Thailand/South African models.Before Nissan’s sale of the Rosslyn factory to Chery, the Navara was the only model still made there after production of the half-tonne NP200 came to an end in 2024.
