The Plug-In Hybrid Nissan Frontier Pro Is The Cybertruck America Deserves

With the battery electric truck market still remarkably tepid, automakers are starting to see that maybe a combination of electric power and combustion is what North Americans really need. The advantages of a standard truck for towing, the efficiency of electric power for commuting. It’s a great formula, and the Nissan Frontier Pro seems to use it well. While it’s not officially slated for America yet, I have a feeling you’re going to want to write to Nissan and ask if it could build this truck here.

Under the hood of the Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid sits a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-banger. That’s not a ton of dino-burning horsepower in a midsize pickup truck, but it’s paired with an electric motor in the transmission to pump out more than 402 horsepower, on the level with the Ford Ranger Raptor. Oh yeah, it also pumps out a whopping 590 lb.-ft. of torque, making this the 800-pound gorilla of midsize pickup trucks.

Even better, it keeps its real mechanical four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case and a locking rear differential, so it should have some serious off-road chops, and all-electric range is rated at 84 miles on the generous CLTC testing cycle. That should theoretically translate to more than 50 miles of all-electric range at real American speeds, so plenty enough for commuting on.

Then there’s the styling, which looks pretty handsome. Nissan claims to have drawn inspiration from the legendary D21 hardbody, and I can totally see it. The segmented light bar mimicking hood vents, the simple, assertive, squared-off front end, it’s a stylish treatment that works without feeling heavy-handed. The bright lemon-lime color also helps, but overall, the Frontier Pro is a fairly classy truck. Oh, and how about reasonably wheels? They’re sensible-by-modern-standards 18-inch rollers wrapped in sidewall-rich 265/65R18 meats.

Oh, and the interior’s properly nice too. Thanks to the light let in by the panoramic sunroof, we get a really good glimpse at a cabin abundant in hoodless screens, real buttons, textiles, and what appear to be soft-touch surfaces. A two-spoke steering wheel in a pickup truck is a bit of old-school cool, and bringing the exterior color in seems to warm up the space.

However, there’s a catch: Just because this truck says Frontier on the back doesn’t mean it shares anything with the Frontier we get in North America. It’s actually a rebadged Dongfeng Z9, a joint-venture Chinese pickup truck with its own architecture and electronics. That means moving production to America wouldn’t be as simple as altering the current Frontier production line as this product’s entirely its own thing.

While it wouldn’t be impossible for Nissan to start production of the Frontier Pro in America, it would be difficult, and it would be a shame if America didn’t eventually get it. Here’s a midsize pickup truck with performance-grade power that can commute on electric power alone, tow with the range and infrastructure of gasoline, lock its rear diff and hit the trails, then use its six kilowatt vehicle-to-load functionality to power whatever overlanding camping equipment you like. With Toyota not offering a plug-in hybrid Tacoma, U.S. production of the Frontier Pro could be Nissan’s chance to steal some sales from the king. It’s the sort of hybrid truck North America needs, if only we got it.

Top graphic image: Nissan

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

• Ram Delays Its All-Electric Truck So It Can Sell Its Extended-Range Hybrid Ramcharger First

• The Hybrid ‘Scout Traveler’ SUV And ‘Scout Terra’ Pickup Look Absolutely Amazing

• How GM Beat Everyone To The Punch With A Hybrid Pickup Truck And Then Completely Fell Off The Tracks

• The Updated 2025 Nissan Frontier Still Seems Like A Truck You Can Keep For The Long-Haul

• Why The 2025 Ford Maverick Is Now Virtually The Perfect Truck

Please send tips about cool car things to tips@theautopian.com. You could even win a prize!