Facelifted 2021 Nissan Terra already in Thailand?

With the largely unsavory surprises that 2020 has been throwing our way, we could definitely use a few pleasant ones. And Japanese carmaker Nissan has just sprung one of them in Thailand.

The facelifted 2021 Nissan Terra broke cover in the Middle East on November 2020

You will recall that the facelifted 2021 Nissan Terra midsize SUV made its global debut in the Middle East last month. While the model for that particular market revived the X-Terra nameplate (which was sold as a Frontier-based compact SUV in its previous life), it will likely retain the original name everywhere else, or at least in the ASEAN region.

Just recently, several intriguing photos have appeared on the Terra Club Thailand Facebook page. The snapshots showed several units of the facelifted Terra mounted on a car carrier, on their way to either Nissan Thailand dealer showrooms or the nearest seaport for shipping overseas.

As Thailand is one of two countries assembling the Nissan Terra (the other being the model’s home market of China), the sighting is fueling speculation that the updated Terra could be having a Thai launch to herald its arrival in ASEAN. Not surprising, since the country is serving as a production hub for many of Nissan’s products. However, a translation of the original Thai caption claims that the new Terra will be served to other markets first.

The new model has been spotted on Thai roads being delivered somewhere (Image: Terra Club Thailand Facebook page)

Expect some alterations to the new Terra’s ASEAN specifications from its Middle Eastern counterpart. For one thing, the units spotted in Thailand sport a different wheel pattern from the six-spoke alloys that was shown during the global launch, apart from looking somewhat smaller.

Perhaps the biggest expected change will be under the hood, with the Arab-spec 2.5L gasoline option being ditched in favor of a diesel power plant. The Thailand version will likely continue to run on the same 2.3L bi-turbo diesel engine used by the outgoing Terra, as well as the bigger 2.5L turbodiesel mill used in Nissan’s Philippine offerings.

>>> Related: 2021 Nissan Terra Old vs. New: Spot the differences

Looks like the units are export models on their way to overseas buyers (Image: Terra Club Thailand Facebook page)

Speaking of which, the previous generation model was launched here months before it broke cover in Thailand, so we wouldn’t mind a repeat of that feat for the new Terra. 

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