Edaran Tan Chong Motor will launch a new 2022 Nissan Serena facelift in Malaysia in the second half of this year, according to investment banking partners who have been briefed on the matter.

The latest revelation corroborates with an earlier report by WapCar, which says that the new NIssan Serena could be launched as early as July this year.

Also read: New C27 2022 Nissan Serena S-Hybrid facelift to launch in Malaysia in July

The current C27 generation Nissan Serena was first launched in Malaysia in May 2018. It took over from the C26 generation model, which was first launched in Malaysia in 2013 as an imported (CBU, Japan) model, followed by a locally-assembled (CKD, Serendah) one in 2014.

In Japan, the 2022 Nissan Serena is available with Nissan’s signature e-Power series hybrid, which is still a hybrid but its small 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine doesn’t drive the wheels directly, serving only as a generator to charge the Serena’s 1.8 kWh lithium-ion battery, which will power the electric motor driving the front wheels.

We have sampled the e-Power drivetrain here, albeit in a previous generation Nissan Note. It’s a simple but brilliant powertrain that’s as close as you can get to driving an electric vehicle but minus the hassle of charging and range limitation.

Also read: Nissan Note e-Power: We drove Malaysia's most fuel-efficient car that you can't buy (yet); 2.8L/100km

We still don’t know if e-Power will make its local market debut in the new Serena facelift but we think the chances are quite slim.

As this is a mid-lifecycle update rather than an all-new generation model, it is more likely for the 2022 Nissan Serena to continue with the current 2.0-litre MR20DD 4-cylinder petrol assisted by an enlarged SM24 electric starter motor, which Nissan tries to pass off as a hybrid (it’s not, because there is no traction motor to drive the wheels and there’s no separate high voltage battery).

Prices of the outgoing C27 Nissan Serena are as below:

• Highway Star: RM 140,226
• Premium Highway Star Black Package: RM 150,226
• Premium Highway Star Two-Tone Package: RM 152,103

The new 2022 Nissan Serena will certainly see an increase in price, not just due to resumption of SST, but also due to increase in logistics and raw materials cost, as well as weakening of the Ringgit. It's an issue that affects the entire industry.

Also read: Post-SST: Car prices to increase more than before, higher than previous June 2020 price