Nissan Navara EV imagined for electric future switch

In 2021, Nissan revealed four electric concepts with distinctly different purposes, including an electric ute.

The subtly retro-futuristic ute was named Surf-Out, designed with a unibody shape and, thanks to its skateboard platform, a deep tub for tools or eskies – as the job may require.

We reported at the time the Surf-Out might hint at a future successor to the Navara ute, which certainly live on diesel forever. But, in April this year, Nissan revealed another new electric concept with a wildly different look: the Arizon SUV, pictured below.

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That got our mate Theottle the Photoshop wizard thinking that an edgier-looking electric Navara might be more suited to the segment.

Enter, what Theo calls the Arizona – a cleverly rugged twist on the Arizon's name, particularly as Nissan has a test centre in the sizzling hot 48th state of the American union.

What do you think of the look? We know Kia and Hyundai will launch electric utes in the near future, and they're likely to look pretty edgy in their own right. This so-called Arizona, what might otherwise be badged Navara or Frontier, could make for a sharp rival.

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An electric Navara, or 'Arizona', based on the Arizon SUV concept | Theottle [↗]

Is Nissan actually planning an electric ute?

Not officially, although Nissan's vice president Shunichi Inamijima is on record as saying the company is looking at what each market needs, whether it's merely electrified or full electric.

"We will consider technical application to the product for either E-Power (hybrid) or [fully-electric]," he told Australian media in March – mainly on the idea of adding E-Power hybrid tech to the Patrol and Navara in their next generation.

For now, we know that the next Navara will be based on the new-generation Triton revealed in July.

And while it appears likely that an E-Power hybrid version will join the range, an all-electric model is probably another generation away.