The Nissan Tekton could be on its way to Australian showrooms, following news that the Japanese brand’s local division has kicked off the process to trademark the Tekton name here.
Due on sale overseas in 2026, the Tekton was officially announced earlier this week when it emerged wearing an exterior design that apes that of the upcoming Y63 Nissan Patrol – the only real rival for the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series – which is already on sale in the US and due on sale here next year.
Nissan Australia could not confirm whether the Tekton will be released in this market, and did not comment on trademarking the name locally when contacted by CarExpert.
Car companies typically trademark a new model name ahead of a vehicle’s introduction in any given market or – if they have no immediate plan to release it in that market – to ‘protect’ the name and prevent competitors using it in case they decide to launch the vehicle later.
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While it takes design cues from its big brother, the Tekton is based on the latest Renault Duster small SUV, which was launched here in August.
Nissan and Renault are partners in an industrial alliance that also includes Mitsubishi, allowing each brand to share platforms, powertrains and even entire vehicles where they deem it advantageous.
The Duster and Tekton are based on a ‘low-specification’ version of the alliance’s CMF-B chassis architecture, which in its higher spec underpins models such as the Nissan Qashqai.
The Tekton is a compact, cut-price urban SUV – akin to the Chery Tiggo 4 and Mahindra XUV 3XO – and has been designed primarily for India, where it will be manufactured.
Like the XUV 3XO, the Tekton measures less than four metres long, which means it avoids a higher vehicle tax class in India.
Further details such as powertrains are yet to be announced, but the Tekton is expected to employ the same engines as the Duster.
The new Duster is offered with an entry-level turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, and a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 48V mild-hybrid tech.
Indian-market models have often lacked key safety features compared to Australian-spec vehicles, prioritising lower pricing instead.
To be sold in Australia, the Tekton would have to have been engineered to incorporate advanced driver assistance systems, many of which are mandatory here.
Sharing its underpinnings with the Duster means it has been engineered for at least autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, and curtain airbags.
However, the Duster has a three-star rating out of a possible five from Euro NCAP, and is currently ‘unrated’ by ANCAP in Australia.
The majority of Nissan models in Australia currently have a five-star ANCAP rating, with only the aged Navara ute and Leaf electric hatch remaining unrated.