Beijing 2014: Nissan displays new 7-seat X-Trail, “working very hard” to launch it in PH

With the advent of the new Nissan Philippines came two new vehicles, the Sylphy compact and the Altima midsize sedans. Nissan of course has realized that the game in the Philippines is SUVs or car-based crossovers. The global company had a very interesting vehicle at the Beijing auto show: the all-new X-Trail compact SUV. This would go head-to-head with such best-sellers as the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5.

The X-Trail has a sleek, modern look, quite an advancement from its squarish predecessor. Nissan signature styling cues such as boomerang rear lights and sculpted D-pillar make their way here. LED headlamps are standard on higher-end variants. X-Trail will have a CVT for better fuel economy, and a chassis with full complement of electronic safety aids.

Inside, it features cream leather trim, and theater-style seating. The theater-style seats allow the second row to have better visibility and easier ingress and egress. The rear doors open extra wide, almost 80 degrees, to enable easier access particularly when installing a child seat. Most importantly: there is a seven-seat option, as the interior is big enough to fit a third row.

With us at Nissan stand was Nissan Philippines’ general affairs boss S.J. Huh. He said that they are “working very hard” to bring new products to the Philippines, and that Nissan is very keen to launch the X-Trail locally. As to the other juicy offerings on the Nissan stand, the Nismo GT-R and the Nismo 370Z, Mr. Huh was more tentative. “We are considering it,” he said.