Xpander Twin: 2023 Nissan Livina spotted on PH roads

Since a couple of months ago, many automotive publications have speculated that the all-new Nissan Livina is coming to the Philippine market. More recently though, this rumor has become more substantiated as a truck carrying several units of the seven-seater Livina MPV was spotted on the Bauan-Batangas Road. 

Several Nissan Livina units spotted on the Bauan-Batangas Road [Photo: Cedric Mark D. Kalalo]

The said photo, which was taken by Facebook user Cedric Mark D. Kalalo, shows one unit facing forward and one facing rearwards. To this end, we now know that the rear of the Philippine-spec Livina looks similar to the current Xpander. Specifically, it gets the same boxy headlamps on either side of the vehicle’s fascia, and the same taillights. 

This of course is unsurprising since the Livina is actually a badge-engineered Mitsubishi Xpander. This in turn comes in courtesy of the alliance of which both Nissan and Mitsubishi are members. 

From the front though, the upcoming Nissan model bears a smaller grille in the brand’s V-motion design. The shape of the lower front bumper also seems different, and the Nissan model comes with rectangular front fog lamps instead of the round ones on the current Philippine-spec Xpander. 

For that matter, it is also likely that the upcoming Nissan Livina for the Philippine market will also use the same 1.5-liter four-banger that the Xpander uses. At the most, this mill can produce up to 103 horsepower and 141 Nm of torque. It is then paired with a four-speed automatic gearbox or a five-speed manual tranny. This is also the same powertrain it uses in other markets in the ASEAN region. 

The current-gen Nissan Livina was unveiled back in 2019 in Indonesia

As for its launch date, Nissan Philippines could launch the said MPV at the upcoming 2022 Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS). Emphasis here on “could” since the brand is yet to share any confirmations regarding this.  

Likewise, one should also note that the Japanese marque is yet to release any of the Philippine-spec Livina’s mechanical specs. So yes, take what we’ve said above with a grain of salt. That said though, it’s about time that the brand has filled in the seven-seater MPV hole in its lineup. 

For more automotive industry news, and more updates on the upcoming 2023 Nissan Livina, keep it here on Philkotse.