Nissan Exterra may be revived to compete with Toyota 4Runner

The Nissan Xterra trademark has been renewed, hinting at a possible revival of the rugged SUV.

On December 23, 2024, Nissan filed an application in the United States to renew the Extella and Nissan Extella trademarks. Both trademarks apply to “motor vehicles, namely automobiles, sport utility vehicles, and structural parts thereof.”

Trademark applications sometimes give early indications that an automaker is trying to revive a past name. The Honda Prelude trademark was renewed in the U.S. in 2023, and Honda has since confirmed that the coupe will be revived as a hybrid vehicle. However, there are times when these applications lead nowhere. For example, the new Ford Thunderbird has yet to appear.

The Exterra name does not have as long a history as the Thunderbird or Prelude, but it was distinctive in its own right, with more emphasis on off-road capability than other Nissan SUVs of the time; it was introduced in the U.S. for the 2000 model year and redesigned in 2005. Its second generation, the Xterra, lasted until 2015, when it was discontinued.

Strong sales of the SUV may be the driving force behind the new Xterra, which Nissan has been hinting at since at least 2017. And it has already sort of revived the name in the form of the X-Terra, a version of the Terra, a body-on-frame SUV launched in the Middle East in 2020 for the Middle Eastern market. The Terra will be launched in 2018, fueling speculation that it may serve as the basis for a new U.S.-market Xterra, although it may need some updates at this point in its lifecycle.

It is unclear how much of a priority the new Xterra will be as Nissan moves forward with its merger with Honda by next year. The two automakers confirmed merger talks last month, which could provide Nissan with a much-needed lifeline; in November, one source warned that Nissan had only 12 to 14 months to survive.