Who would have thought that a pickup truck could make the entire auto industry camp out for a "decryption"? On October 16, as soon as Zhengzhou Nissan's FrontierPro twins officially announced a guide price of 990,000, the comment section immediately turned into a "guessing scene"—"Is this price for the fuel version or the PHEV version?" "Spending nearly a million on a pickup, are they crazy?" But don't rush to judge. Behind this seemingly "outrageous" pricing lies Zhengzhou Nissan's big move to stir up the global high-end pickup market.
First of all, this vehicle's "background" is extraordinary! It is Nissan's first high-end pickup to be led by China in design, research and development, and production. The Chinese and Japanese teams worked on it for three years, armed with two major weapons—the "global multi-terrain platform Star Core" and "AHT full-scenario electric hybrid technology"—and forcibly transformed the pickup from a "cargo-hauling tool" into a "luxurious companion that can venture out and let you lie back." Think about it: previously, high-end pickups were either dictated by foreign brands or were "Made in China" with a badge slapped on. This time, we have gone directly from "chasing" to "leading." How could we not be confident?
Now look at how well it understands today's users! In 2024, National Day self-driving trips reached 1.6 billion person-times, and more than half were family users, yet the penetration rate of new energy pickups is less than 5 percent—everyone wants to drive a pickup to go camping and exploring, but they always worry about insufficient range and no way to recharge in the wild. The FrontierPro twins trample these pain points underfoot: the fuel version is equipped with a third-generation M9T diesel engine, matched with a ZF 8AT transmission, and its 500 N·m of torque can pull 3.2 tons, while fuel consumption is only 8.1 L/100 km, balancing power and fuel efficiency; the PHEV version is even more formidable, the world's first ultra-luxury plug-in hybrid pickup, with a 6 kW intelligent discharge system that handles camping power supply, photography recharging, and emergency rescue, equivalent to installing a "mobile power station" on the vehicle!
As for the 990,000 pricing that everyone is most torn about, it is actually a "little trick" played by Zhengzhou Nissan. Years ago, its Z9 pickup already used tiered pricing of "base version + performance version + limited edition," with the most expensive and cheapest differing by as much as 130,000! Industry insiders all guess that this 990,000 is most likely the "face price" of the top-trim PHEV version. If you really want to buy the fuel version or the base PHEV, the starting price might land at 850,000 to 900,000. And let's not forget, this vehicle is produced domestically, so the cost is considerably lower than imported cars. Referring to BYD's pricing path for export vehicles, the subsequent terminal price might drop even further. Not to mention that it is the core model of Zhengzhou Nissan's "3x Growth Plan." If a "first edition" comes out later, and with trade-in subsidies and financial interest discounts stacked on top, the actual purchase price could be shockingly attractive!
The most exciting thing is that this 990,000 is not just a price figure, but also a "declaration" for Chinese pickups! Previously, when people mentioned high-end pickups, they all thought "only imports are reliable." Now Zhengzhou Nissan, holding the FrontierPro twins with "Chinese R&D, global delivery," is saying: "We can also build million-level good pickups, and sell them all over the world!" This is not just selling cars—this is about rewriting the global pickup industry landscape and letting Chinese intelligent manufacturing gain a firm foothold in the high-end market!
Now everyone is waiting for the "final answer" during the pre-sale period at the end of October—which model does the 990,000 actually correspond to? How low can the actual purchase price go? But no matter the result, the FrontierPro twins have already won: it has shown the world that China can not only build good pickups, but also define new ways of playing in the high-end pickup segment. This "pickup revolution" led by China has only just begun!
