Nissan NX7 opens pre-sales at 129,900 CNY as N-series retail slides 14.5%

Dongfeng Nissan, the China joint venture of Nissan (TYO: 7201), opened pre-sales for the NX7 plug-in hybrid SUV on November 13, 2026, with three versions priced from 129,900 CNY (c. $19,344) to 149,900 CNY (c. $22,322). The SUV is due to launch officially on November 27 at the Guangzhou Auto Show, and it arrives as Nissan's N-series electrified lineup loses ground at home.

N-series retail sales fell to 4,694 units in October, down 14.5% from 5,493 in September and 28.2% below October 2025. The NX8 SUV, the series' best seller in both months, slipped to 2,025 retail units from 2,695, leaving the N7 and N6 sedans with 2,669 between them. Dongfeng Nissan shipped 2,425 NX8s to dealers in October, 400 more than it sold at retail.

The pre-sale lineup runs from the 320 Pro at 129,900 CNY through the 320 Max at 139,900 CNY (c. $20,833) to the 320 Ultra LiDAR at 149,900 CNY. All three carry the same 40.9 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery from CATL (SZSE: 300750), rated at 320 km (199 miles) of CLTC electric range and 1,666 km (1,035 miles) combined with a full tank. The versions differ in comfort and driver-assistance hardware, not in battery or range, and final prices for new models in China typically land below pre-sale prices.

The NX7 slots under the NX8, which lists at 159,900 to 209,900 CNY (c. $23,812 to $31,257) and currently starts from a limited-time 149,900 CNY after a 10,000 CNY cash discount. That puts the NX7's entry version 30,000 CNY below the NX8's list start and 20,000 CNY below its current promotional price. The two SUVs also use different powertrains: the NX8, launched on April 8, 2026, comes as a battery-electric or extended-range model, while the NX7 is a plug-in hybrid, a setup the N-series has so far offered only in the N6 sedan.

Power comes from a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine rated at 73 kW (98 hp), paired with a 170 kW drive motor. The SUV is 4,785 mm long with a 2,815 mm wheelbase, and the Ultra LiDAR version is 1,932 mm wide, 12 mm wider than the other two. Dongfeng Nissan quotes a drag coefficient of 0.25 and a 783-liter two-level boot that grows to 1,878 liters with the rear seats folded. Earlier regulatory filings listed electric ranges of 220 km and 225 km (137 and 140 miles), so the production figure will be fixed only in the official specification sheet.

The NX7 measures 4,785 mm long on a 2,815 mm wheelbase; the 320 Ultra LiDAR version adds roof-mounted LiDAR (Dongfeng Nissan rendering)

The 320 Ultra LiDAR runs the Momenta R7 driver-assistance system, tuned jointly with Momenta (HKG: 6880), with a roof-mounted LiDAR that supports highway and urban navigation assistance. Dongfeng Nissan says it can handle unprotected left turns and narrow-road passing, and that its parking assistance covers more than 300 scenarios, including spaces just 40 cm (16 inches) wider than the car. Ultra buyers also get lifetime access to the R7 world model, valued at 12,000 CNY (c. $1,787), at no extra cost.

Every NX7 gets a 17.3-inch 3K center screen running Nissan OS 3.0, developed with iFlytek, while the 320 Ultra LiDAR adds a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P chip and a 55-inch augmented-reality head-up display. The 320 Max adds Nissan's AI zero-pressure seats with massage, a 6.33-liter heating and cooling fridge and upgraded audio, with the NX7's sound system using 12 speakers and 780 W. Dongfeng Nissan also claims its third-generation motion-sickness software cuts the car's motion-sickness index by 83%.

Smoke Purple is one of three NX7 interior colors, alongside white and black; the center screen measures 17.3 inches (Dongfeng Nissan rendering)

Pre-sale buyers can claim benefits worth up to 35,000 CNY (c. $5,212). A 999 CNY deposit counts as 3,000 CNY toward the price, Clover Green or Wisteria Purple paint is free for a limited time, and trade-in subsidies are 5,000 CNY for existing Dongfeng Nissan owners and 3,000 CNY for owners of other brands. The incentives follow a September price cut on the updated N7, whose limited-time starting price dropped to 109,900 CNY (c. $16,366).

The NX7 was shown at a Nissan Day event in Zhuhai alongside the global debut of the NV200 PHEV van and a 2027 Frontier Pro PHEV pickup, and Nissan used the stage to announce it will bring its NISMO performance brand to China. Nissan has five new energy vehicles on sale in China and plans to launch five more by summer 2027, a count that includes the NX7. It says N-series sales for January to October rose 37% year on year, though monthly retail volume has fallen from a June 2026 peak of 9,316 units.

Dongfeng Nissan says it reached 100,000 new energy vehicle sales faster than any other joint venture of a central state-owned carmaker, after Nissan began its shift to electrified cars in China in 2024. The NX8 was reported to have drawn more than 8,400 orders within 30 minutes of its April launch, helped by aggressive pricing, but its retail volume has cooled since. Zhou Feng, executive vice president of the Nissan-Dongfeng joint venture Dongfeng Motor Co., said the partners will increase funding, technology and product investment over the next three years.

Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa told the event by video that China is becoming the company's "innovation center and global export base." The joint venture's products will reach more than 30 countries this year, a number Nissan expects to double in 2027. The Frontier Pro pickup and N7 sedan have already gone on sale in the Philippines as the Navara Pro and Primera, and the NX8 is among the models planned for export next.

In May 2026, Nissan was studying exports of China-built EVs to Canada, where Ottawa now allows up to 49,000 China-built EVs a year. Christian Meunier, Nissan's head of the Americas, did not name any models. Nissan has not said whether the NX7 will join its export list, and its final China price on November 27 will show how hard it plans to push to reverse the series' slide.

Conversion rate: 1 USD = 6.7152 CNY as of November 13, 2026.