Details of Cars

Nissan Atleon: the Barcelona-built truck

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2007 Nissan Atleon
A 2007 Nissan Atleon. Photo by Charles from Port Chester, New York, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Nissan Atleon was a truck built by Nissan Motor Ibérica in Barcelona from September 2000 to 2013. It was sold through European dealer networks and was replaced by the Nissan NT500. Its ancestry goes back to the Spanish manufacturer Ebro, bought outright by Nissan in 1987.

Nissan Atleon at a glance

Nissan Atleon key facts
Production 2000–2013, Barcelona
Builder Nissan Motor Ibérica
Predecessor line Nissan L/M series, 1980–2000
Bodies chassis, flatbed or box body
Smallest version 3.5 tonnes, drivable with a Class B licence
Engines at launch B660TiL, B660TiH and B440Ti turbodiesels
2006 engines Nissan ZD30 110 kW, Cummins ISB5-4H 136 kW
Gearbox after 2006 six-speed manual
Successor Nissan NT500

based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Nissan Atleon.

History of the Nissan Atleon

Ebro and the L/M series

Nissan took a stake in the Spanish maker Ebro in 1980 and bought it entirely in 1987. Ebro’s models gradually became Nissans: the F-series became the Nissan Ebro Trade and later the Nissan Trade, while the L/M series became the Nissan Ebro L/M. From 1990 the Ebro name disappeared and the Nissan L/M series was built until 2000, reaching markets such as Germany only in 1995.

Nissan Atleon box truck
An Atleon with a box body. Photo by For a gallery of some more of my uploaded pictures see: here., CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

ECO-T and the Atleon name

From 1997 a revised L/M was sold in many markets as the Nissan ECO-T, or Nissan Camiones ECO-T in Spain, with some markets adding the name Atleon. The name Atleon became standard on all markets only with the model built from 2000. From September 2000 to 2013 the Atleon was built in Barcelona and offered ex works as a chassis, a flatbed truck or with a box body, with the smallest 3.5-tonne version created so it could be driven on a Class B licence. It came with the B660TiL, B660TiH and B440Ti turbodiesels, all with direct injection.

2006 facelift

A facelift in 2006 gave the Atleon a front end adapted from the Nissan Cabstar F24. From then the engine range changed to common-rail diesels: the Nissan ZD30 of 110 kW at 3,400 rpm and the Cummins ISB5-4H of 136 kW at 2,500 rpm, combined with a six-speed manual gearbox. The model was replaced by the NT500 in mid-2013.

Design and features

  • Spanish roots: descended from Ebro, which Nissan bought outright in 1987.
  • Three body styles: chassis, flatbed or box body from the factory.
  • 3.5-tonne version: small enough for a Class B driving licence.
  • Common-rail diesels: Nissan ZD30 and Cummins units from 2006.

Nissan Atleon versions

  • Nissan L/M series (1980–2000): the Ebro-based predecessor.
  • ECO-T (1997–2000): revised L/M sold with the Atleon name in some markets.
  • Atleon (2000–2006): original Barcelona-built range.
  • Atleon facelift (2006–2013): Cabstar-style front and common-rail engines.

The Atleon came from the same Spanish operation as the Nissan Trade and shared its cab design with the Cabstar. More cars are in the Nissan collection.

Video: Nissan Atleon 2007

Video by YouTube on YouTube.

Sources

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