Get ready for the Nissan Livina—Launching on September 6, 2022

It’s been quite a number of years since the Nissan Livina crossed our minds. The height of its popularity was back in 2019, wherein it was spotted testing out in the wild, then subsequent launches got more and more people excited. Following that, the COVID-19 lockdowns happened and we didn’t get to hear much from Nissan about a launch here in the Philippines.

Now, that all changes. Nissan Philippines just emailed us about the Livina, and it looks like the nameplate is looking to expand its presence to our humble little archipelago. This September 6, 2022, look out for Nissan’s newest model for our country’s lineup, the Nissan Livina. 

We’re not going to beat around the bush here. Because Nissan and Mitsubishi are technically business partners, it comes as no surprise that the Nissan-badged MPV is actually a Mitsubishi Xpander underneath. The two parent companies will be using the Mitsubishi-derived platform for the ASEAN market and it’s only now that the Philippines will get the model. 

As for the expected specifications of the new model, it’s likely that we will get the same 1.5-liter naturally-aspirated gasoline engine paired with a four-speed traditional automatic transmission. We can expect a similar design layout to the Xpander. It seems like the perfect storm given that Mitsubishi’s popular model has just gotten a facelift. So now, in addition to being all-new, it gets a new rival in its segment, a little bit of sibling rivalry if you will. 

Overall, the design is much smoother compared to the Xpander, which still remains edgy to this day. The interior is still very similar to the Mitsubishi opting for durable hard plastics and cloth-upholstered seats. It’s uncertain whether Nissan will be fitting its intelligent mobility suite into the MPV. By doing so, it would be one of the few models in the segment to offer such features as a 360-degree camera and some advanced safety features, but that remains to be seen. So far, it looks like the Livina wil go toe-to-toe, spec-to-spec, and head-to-head with its counterpart. On its own, it looks like it will be another option in the seven-seater MPV market, but whether it will be a top contender remains to be seen. Hopefully, we get all of our questions answered when it launches on September 6, 2022.