A new Nissan Frontier based on the old chassis was stopped dead in its tracks by adhesive red tape. Nissan ran into complications trying to bring the old chassis up to code with modern American safety standards. We had seen a report on The Truth About Cars a while back that Nissan had to scrap its plans to build a new light truck based off of the D22 platform. Instead Nissan plans to devolp a new truck based off of their Navara platform which was revealed to other parts of the world in June.

Due to R&D, testing, and getting through red tape, Nissan predicts the Navara-based Frontier will have to wait to hit the U.S. market in 2018. The new Navara platform was given a face lift which looks like an SUV, rather than a traditional truck. The Navara will be a modern truck with electronics, Bluetooth and improved safety features such as curtain airbags.

In addition, it is said that it will likely have a six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic transmission. Also expect both conventional gasoline and a diesel engine to be options as the Japanese auto giant recently tested a concept with a 2.8L inline-four Cummins diesel tied to a ZF H8 transmission.

The 2018 Frontier should be quite the hot little truck. Nissan fans have waited a long time for a big change and this new design for the Frontier is long overdue.

While it may look more like an SUV, it appears to still have the off-roading capabilities of its ancestor.