All-new Nissan X-Trail e-Power launching in Thailand soon?

For the longest time, Nissan Philippines has been absent in the compact crossover market. Ever since the automaker dropped the X-Trail from its lineup around two years ago, Nissan has only offered the Kicks e-Power in the B-SUV market, the Terra in the midsize SUV segment, and the Patrol in the full-size luxury SUV category.

In the future, however, Nissan's compact crossover could make a comeback in the Philippine market. We already know Nissan Philippines received regulatory approval for what could be the X-Trail e-Power. Unfortunately, we still don't know whether the company is actually serious about bringing it back or where will they source the electrified crossover.

Well, insider information was leaked recently, and the all-new Nissan X-Trail is likely to return to the Thai market. According to a report by Grand Prix Online, Nissan Thailand apparently plans to launch the all-new X-Trail soon which could be followed by the Serena MPV and the all-electric Ariya SUV.

But why is the X-Trail's return to the Thai market big news and what does it mean for us in the Philippines? When Nissan used to sell the X-Trail in the country, they had to source it from Japan which made them expensive than your typical compact crossover. With the X-Trail returning to Thailand, this could mean Nissan may start producing it not just for the Thai market but for other ASEAN countries as well.

Should Nissan Philippines decide to bring back the X-Trail and source it from Thailand, it will benefit from the ASEAN Free Trade which will allow the automaker to price the crossover competitively. As to what variant of the X-Trail will be launched in Thailand, it's expected that the e-Power version will be the one that will be revealed soon in the Land of Smiles.

With Nissan Philippines already having regulatory approval for a passenger vehicle with a 1.5-liter engine assisted by an electric motor, it seems the company has already planned ahead in preparation for its supposed return.

There's no exact date yet as to when Nissan Thailand will launch the all-new X-Trail. But given that insider info has already been leaked, perhaps it's only a matter of time before the electrified crossover makes its regional debut.

The only question now is, should the X-Trail e-Power make its way here, will it be classified as a “BEV” much like the Kicks e-Power?