--- title: "What if Nissan brought the old Gobi compact truck to life?" url: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/" publisher: "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk" content_signal: "search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=no" author: "Jill Ciminillo" published: "2022-12-06T13:39:21+00:00" modified: "2025-07-23T15:12:35+00:00" image: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/nissan-Gobi-Concept-1200x800-1.jpg" --- # What if Nissan brought the old Gobi compact truck to life? By Jill Ciminillo Published: 2022-12-06T13:39:21+00:00 Updated: 2025-07-23T15:12:35+00:00 ![Featured image]() Just after Thanksgiving, the Nissan Stories USA blog posted [a heritage collection spotlight]() on the Nissan Gobi compact truck concept. While this could just be a “remember when” post, we almost have to wonder if it’s also a “what if” post. With the compact truck segment starting to heat up, and the [Titan dying a slow death](), could Nissan be testing the waters on potential interest? If it is, Imma vote yes. So, let’s dig into what the Nissan Gobi was, and what it could be. ### **What was the Nissan Gobi concept?** Revealed way back in 1990, this compact truck was a two-door model with a bubble-like design. It had a small footprint, low-sided bed walls and a low ride height. Inside, it had a driver-focused cockpit and kitschy features like a removable glovebox that could double as a backpack. Though this truck was more of a design exercise than anything else, if you take out the quirky shape and color scheme, you have the makings of something that has potential. ### **What would a Nissan compact truck look like?** Should Nissan decide to redirect its focus and take a second look at the compact truck segment, a potential future Gobi could look a lot like the new [Nissan Frontier]() and be built on[the Rogue]() platform. Power it with the 201-horsepower, [3-cylinder engine](), and you’ll have something that is competitive with both the [Ford Maverick]() and [Hyundai Santa Cruz](). Price a base model around $25k and then trick out a top-tier trim with the available high-tech gadgets seen on the Rogue (think wireless Apple CarPlay and 360-degree camera), and you’ll give Santa Cruz and Maverick a run for their money. ### **The bottom line** I like playing the “what if” game. Considering there are only two compact trucks on the market right now and Ford can’t build enough Mavericks (they’ve already [closed order books for 2023]()!), Nissan has a real opportunity here. Design the truck look rugged like the Maverick, but make a lot of the lux-level features you see on the Santa Cruz available, and you could have a winning combination. What do you think? Comment below: Is there room for a Nissan compact truck in the market? What should it look like and what features should it have? ## Structured page information ~~~json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/" }, "author": { "name": "Jill Ciminillo", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/person/17a307b2bd8654a0efc57d38f2e79df8" }, "headline": "What if Nissan brought the old Gobi compact truck to life?", "datePublished": "2022-12-06T13:39:21+00:00", "dateModified": "2025-07-23T15:12:35+00:00", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/" }, "wordCount": 394, "commentCount": 2, "publisher": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/#primaryimage" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/nissan-Gobi-Concept-1200x800-1.jpg", "keywords": [ "compact truck", "Nissan Compact truck", "Nissan Gobi" ], "articleSection": [ "News" ], "inLanguage": "en-US", "potentialAction": [ { "@type": "CommentAction", "name": "Comment", "target": [ "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/#respond" ] } ] }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/", "name": "What if Nissan brought the old Gobi compact truck to life?", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#website" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/#primaryimage" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/#primaryimage" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/nissan-Gobi-Concept-1200x800-1.jpg", "datePublished": "2022-12-06T13:39:21+00:00", "dateModified": "2025-07-23T15:12:35+00:00", "description": "With the compact truck segment starting to heat up, what if Nissan decided to revive its old Gobi compact truck concept?", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/#breadcrumb" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "potentialAction": [ { "@type": "ReadAction", "target": [ "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/" ] } ] }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "inLanguage": "en-US", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/#primaryimage", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/nissan-Gobi-Concept-1200x800-1.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/nissan-Gobi-Concept-1200x800-1.jpg", "width": 1200, "height": 800, "caption": "nissan gobi compact truck concept" }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/what-if-nissan-brought-the-old-gobi-compact-truck-to-life/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "What if Nissan brought the old Gobi compact truck to life?" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#website", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/", "name": "Pickup Truck +SUV Talk", "description": "Latest News, Reviews and Stories", "publisher": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization" }, "potentialAction": [ { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/?s={search_term_string}" }, "query-input": { "@type": "PropertyValueSpecification", "valueRequired": true, "valueName": "search_term_string" } } ], "inLanguage": "en-US" }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization", "name": "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "inLanguage": "en-US", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/logo/image/", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PUTC-Only-Shield.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PUTC-Only-Shield.jpg", "width": 613, "height": 379, "caption": "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/logo/image/" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.facebook.com/pickuptrucktalk/", "https://x.com/PickupTruckTalk", "https://instagram.com/PickupTruckTalk", "https://www.pinterest.com/PickupTruckTalk/", "https://www.youtube.com/pickuptrucktalk" ] }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/person/17a307b2bd8654a0efc57d38f2e79df8", "name": "Jill Ciminillo", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "inLanguage": "en-US", "@id": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f87b10595f005ae52b8598b3d0f279f342bca284aef7f845272864395212c4e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g", "url": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f87b10595f005ae52b8598b3d0f279f342bca284aef7f845272864395212c4e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g", "contentUrl": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f87b10595f005ae52b8598b3d0f279f342bca284aef7f845272864395212c4e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g", "caption": "Jill Ciminillo" }, "description": "Jill Ciminillo is a Chicago-based automotive writer, influencer, TikTok Creator, YouTube personality and podcast host, with her articles and videos appearing in outlets throughout the U.S. Additionally, she co-hosts a weekly radio show on car stuff via Talk Zone. Previously, Jill has been the automotive editor for the Chicago Sun-Times News Group as well as Sinclair Broadcast Group. She is also a past president for the Midwest Automotive Media Association and has the distinction of being the first female president for that organization. Jill is also currently a juror for the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) and Women's World Car of the Year (WWCOTY).", "sameAs": [ "https://www.instagram.com/jillciminillo/", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillciminillo/", "https://x.com/https://twitter.com/jillciminillo", "https://www.youtube.com/jillciminillo" ], "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/author/jillc/" } ] } ] ~~~