Nissan previews new Murano ahead of New York debut

The third-generation Nissan Murano will make its world debut at the New York motor show next month. Nissan has confirmed the model, which is due to launch early next year, will be seen at the show in a short preview video.

Described as a "halo vehicle for Nissan's expanding range of bold crossovers and SUVs", the new Murano "previews a new design language for future Nissan production vehicles".

Latest prototypes show that development on the new model is well underway. Rather than being a US-only car, there is talk that the new Murano could find its way to Europe and the UK.

Although Nissan won't confirm the move, a spokesman told Autocar the company would "keep looking at that market" to evaluate its potential.

The interior of the new Murano has also been caught on camera, although many of the interior details are still under wraps. Nissan has only said the new cabin of the Murano will feature a spacious, premium look with "advanced, purposeful safety and connective technology". While little is known about the Murano's exterior styling, the headlights appear to draw inspiration from the Resonance concept shown at the Detroit motor show last year. That model was said to be 70 per cent representative of how the Murano would look.

In the US, the current Murano is only available with a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine. Nissan says that if the car were to come to the UK, it would require a different engine range and could include a hybrid version. 

"If we did do it, we would use different engines," said the spokesman "The new X-Trail, for example, has different engines to the Rogue in America. We would use engines that would be appropriate for the market, diesels and such. A [hybrid] would make sense. If you look at the price point for that car, a sophisticated hybrid drivetrain would make sense."

The original Resonance concept also used a hybrid powertrain; it revealed at the Detroit motor show earlier this year and intended to show Nissan's future direction for both the Murano and the new Qashqai. 

Nissan says that, like the old Murano, the new model would sit at the top of its range as its flagship SUV.

The second-generation Murano was available in the UK until 2011, but was dropped due to a combination of poor sales, as well as plans to make way for Infiniti's expansion into the UK market.