Nissan’s all-new Pathfinder has rolled out from the shadows at this week’s Detroit Auto Show. Officially a pre-production concept, the new SUV shown today is unlikely to change a great deal in its transition to production.

The big news for the Pathfinder, which has found more than 1.2 million buyers since 1986, is the return to the unibody FF-L platform as used by the Nissan Murano, among others. The current model sits on the body-on-frame underpinnings of the Navara ute. Nissan says the new Pathfinder is substantially lighter (227 kg) than the existing vehicle as a result and is better suited to everyday urban needs with improved aerodynamics and interior space.

Nissan says a petrol V6 engine will power the new Pathfinder, possibly the same 3.5-litre unit that drives the current Murano. The engine will be paired with a CVT automatic transmission, with Nissan promising a 25 percent improvement in fuel-efficiency.

On the styling front, the new Pathfinder has moved away from the boxy design that the current model shares with the Navara pick-up, adopting a curvaceous new shape. The new Pathfinder is expected to debut in production form in the coming year, with a South African debut likely to occur either late this year or early in 2013.