Nissan will not replace its Navara pickup in Europe when the company shutters the Barcelona factory where the model is built later this year, the company said, citing the shrinking market for pickups.
"Production of the current-generation Nissan Navara for European markets will end when our Barcelona plant closes in December 2021, and sales will end in the course of 2022," the company said in an emailed statement. "This reflects the declining pickup segment in Europe and the switch many consumers are taking from pickups to our range of modern and efficient vans."
Nissan had the option of importing the Navara for Europe from its Thailand plant, which supplies the model to export markets including Australia. Nissan's European operation had already decided not to import a facelifted version of the Thai-built model unveiled last year.
The decision means the end for a model that helped transform the European pickup market. The second-generation Navara launched in 2005 was key to moving pickups from a niche segment of workhorse vehicles to one with broader appeal dominated by off-road five-seat double-cab models that could be used as a family car on weekends.
