A Nissan electric pickup could see the light of day thanks to Fisker
Will Nissan have an electric pickup within the next few years? As we discovered last year, Nissan's dealers would like to see one, and now the chances have just increased.
A few days ago, the Car Guide reported that Fisker, a young Californian company in serious financial difficulty, was in discussions with a major automaker about teaming up with it. CEO Henrik Fisker said he hoped to finalize an agreement soon.
According to Reuters, sources have confirmed that Nissan will be the manufacturer, and that discussions with Fisker are well advanced. A conclusion could be reached by the end of the month. In the meantime, Fisker has put its future projects on ice, including the affordable PEAR subcompact SUV and the Alaska pickup truck.
Nissan could inject up to US$400 million into Fisker's FM31 pickup platform, not only so that it can launch its Alaska within two years, but also so that Nissan can produce its own electric pickup. Both models would likely come from one of the Japanese automaker's plants in the USA, making them eligible for subsidies there.
Of course, neither Fisker nor Nissan have yet confirmed the news.
What might Nissan's electric pickup truck look like? Forget a radical design like the Surf-Out concept presented in November 2021. If it's more like an Alaska in disguise, expect a 5.3-meter-long pickup truck, very similar to the Frontier.
It remains to be seen whether the famous "Houdini" partition behind the rear seat, which stretches the load area from 4.5 to 7.5 feet, will be retained. And for those who want even more space, there would be a front trunk and roof rails.
Fisker had announced the Alaska with a choice of two batteries, one 75 kWh and the other 113 kWh. Estimated range varied from 370 to 547 km. That said, all options are on the table. It's not impossible that Fisker and Nissan will turn to Renault, the latter's alliance partner, via its Ampère electric vehicle division.
