The new Nissan NP300 Navara pick-up will be built for European markets at the firm’s factory in Barcelona.

The firm’s flagship Spanish plant has been upgraded for the NP300 and the firm is backing a renewed drive for quality (which was always decent anyway) by launching the new five-year Nissan Light Commercial Vehicle warranty with the NP300.

It’s a big deal for Nissan, not least because the Barcelona plant will also build NP300-derived pick-ups for Renault and Mercedes-Benz. Quality will be paramount, especially where the three-pointed star is concerned.

The new NP300 Navara was engineered for Europe in Nissan’s Technical Centre (NTCE) in Barcelona, where the team developed the new 2.3 litre dCi engine and adapted noise and vibration, steering, suspension and brakes for European customers.

According to Paul Willcox, the chairman of Nissan Europe, the NP300 Navara will benefit from car-like levels of sophistication:

“With 80 years of pick-up heritage, this new NP300 Navara arrives with the off-road ability, durability and loading capacity you would expect from the name.

“What makes the fully-updated Navara truly unique is the driving experience, style and comfort that it inherits from of the Nissan crossover range, like Qashqai, Juke and X-Trail.”

The Barcelona plant has capacity to produce about 120,000 vehicles annually for Nissan, Merc and Renault, and should also generate 1,000 new jobs created once full production is reached.