How Selling European Models Could Revive Nissan In North America

Miami Herald

2 days ago

Although it's certainly not the most recent news, Nissan's financial struggles are still relevant as the brand rushes to bring out new products, aiming to turn around the Japanese automaker's reputation in North America and to get its balance sheets out of the red. What you may or may not know is that Nissan is partnered with French automaker Renault, and it was announced earlier this month by Fortune that Renault has seen $11.2 billion wiped off the face of the Earth just to cover Nissan's losses. Despite their recent troubles, Nissan's team is making a serious effort to get things back on track, and that all begins with the most important thing: their products. Throughout 2025, Nissan has been rolling out a freshly revamped model lineup, ranging from an updated 2026 Nissan LEAF EV to the burly new Nissan Armada, a full-size body-on-frame SUV with four-wheel drive and a twin-turbocharged V6.
While Nissan's efforts to refresh and revitalize its lineup haven't gone unnoticed, it's also been glaringly obvious that the brand's product portfolio has a few notable gaps. Buyers and Nissan dealers alike have been urging Nissan to revive the iconic Xterra - a rugged off-roader SUV that once shared its platform with the Frontier pickup truck and competed directly with the Toyota 4Runner. As these overland-ready off-roaders have grown in popularity immensely, it seems like a major missed opportunity for Nissan, especially considering the fact that the Frontier itself received a major update not too long ago.
However, I don't think the gaps in Nissan's lineup begin and end with the Xterra, and in fact, it seems there's an entire selection of models that Nissan could offer North American buyers, but simply doesn't. I'm referring to European models, such as those from Renault, Dacia, and even Alpine, which have achieved sales success and critical acclaim across the pond. I can't help but wonder why Nissan doesn't offer European models from its partner companies, which are sure to be popular with American audiences.
Using generative text-to-image artificial intelligence, we take an imagined look at what rebadged models from Renault, Dacia, and Alpine could look like rebranded as Nissans for the North American market. These images are purely for speculative and entertainment purposes and in no way reflect any actual Nissan, Renault, Dacia, or Alpine products.
Affordable yet rugged crossovers are all the rage right now–just look at Subaru's Wilderness models, Honda's Trailsport editions, and Toyota's TRD Pro versions. Even Nissan is chasing the rugged lifestyle buyers with its Rock Creek Editions and Pro 4X models, and bringing the venerable Dacia Duster stateside with a set of Nissan badges and an updated fascia could make the allure of a tough, utilitarian crossover more accessible to the market. In the United Kingdom, the Dacia Duster has a starting MSRP of just £19,380 (around $26,000 when converted to $USD), meaning Nissan could potentially offer a 130-horsepower mild-hybrid crossover with optional four-wheel drive to American buyers for under $30,000. If that sort of offer couldn't resonate with American buyers, I don't know what would.
Additionally, Nissan could offer the Dacia's upgraded, full-hybrid power plant–the turbocharged 1.6-liter "Hybrid 140" powertrain, which delivers a combined total of 140 horsepower and around 150 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels. A Nissan-branded Dacia Duster could offer a rugged rival to the popular Subaru Crosstrek, albeit with mild-hybrid and full-hybrid powertrain options.
Before the Rogue became the hot commodity it is today, Nissan sold the X-Trail–a boxy, camping-friendly crossover–all over the globe. It was even sold in North America, and was hugely popular in Canada and Mexico, but Nissan decided not to sell it in the USA for some reason. These days, the global Nissan X-Trail is really just the Nissan Rogue that we see (quite constantly) roaming the streets here at home, but I think there's still a market in North America for the type of vehicle that the X-Trail once was.
Offering boxier proportions and a more rugged four-wheel drive system, the Dacia Bigster-based Nissan X-Trail could be to the Nissan Rogue what the Ford Bronco Sport is to the Escape, or perhaps what the Mazda CX-50 is to the CX-5. Available with either a 140-horsepower turbocharged 1.2-liter three cylinder, or a 155-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, the Dacia Bigster's mechanical guts might win over American buyers left untouched, but I think a more powerful beating heart, such as the 1.5-liter VC-Turbo three-cylinder found in the current Rogue (which makes a stout 201 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque), would be a much more suitable motor.
For years, we've begged Alpine to bring the glorious, turbocharged, mid-engine sport coupe to American roads. Unfortunately, we've yet to see it bless our shores, but maybe Nissan could change that. Now might be the perfect time to do so, considering that Toyota is seriously considering reviving the MR2, and Porsche is converting its Cayman and Boxster models to fully electric powertrains, which will inevitably alienate many of their loyal buyers. A Nissan-branded Alpine A110 in North America could help fill the gap in this desirable segment, putting itself up against the likes of the Lotus Emira and a potentially upcoming Toyota MR2 using its 296-horsepower turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder, mounted behind the cabin, and paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and rear-wheel drive.
Adding the A110 to Nissan's American lineup might not make for a superstar sales success, but it would certainly liven up the image of a brand that was once a champion of fun, affordable sports cars. Perhaps, too, we could see the return of fan favorites like the Nissan Silvia, the Stagea 260RS wagon, and the Pulsar GTI-R.
While Nissan dares to think outside of the box to get things back on track, perhaps also thinking inside the box might provide some much-needed help. Rebranding European products from the same brand umbrella is a strategy for automakers that seems as old as time itself, from General Motors selling Opels as Buicks and Saturns in the 2000s to Ford replacing the hot-selling Escape with the European-styled Ford Kuga. I'm rooting for Nissan, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the brand goes about turning things around and returning to profitability, but it'll be a long and winding road to get there. And hey, there's not much else you could ask for on a long and windy road than a mid-engine Alpine A110 ;).
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.