Ghosn hints at killing Nissan Titan

[Stéphane Dumas]

spotted at http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/16/g...-nissan-titan/

No one doubts that selling full-size trucks in the U.S. is a tough racket. Nissan knows this firsthand, as it's sold only 60,961 units of its Titan pickup so far in 2007. Compare that to the third best-selling truck in the U.S., the Dodge Ram, which has sold 326,177 units, or the new-for-2007 Toyota Tundra, which has sold 177,336 units.

In a Newsweek article profiling Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Nissan-Renault reportedly hinted that he may kill the Titan pickup. The fact is, it's becoming less and less profitable to compete in a full-size truck segment that's shrinking and becoming more competitive by the day. While Ghosn is far from hammering the last nail in the Titan's coffin, his reported comment simply highlights the fact that a smart company will build what it can sell for a profit.

[likearock00]

First of all, that title really needs work!

Secondly, we just heard that Chrysler and Nissan may be working on a joint venture that would erase the current Titan with a rebadged next-gen Ram.

[chickenkicker]

Originally Posted by likearock00

First of all, that title really needs work!

Secondly, we just heard that Chrysler and Nissan may be working on a joint venture that would erase the current Titan with a rebadged next-gen Ram.

I hope it's not going to be a rebadged Ram that would suck, I've always liked the Titan, we would have had one if the financing hadn't fallen thru tho we still may be getting one in a few months.

[JBsZ06]

Maybe chrysler will get a Nissan 350 z offshoot? How about a maxima? or better yet a GTR with a hemi!

Nissan gets the Ram.

Probably more along the lines of Nissan getting a Ram offshoot and maybe a few shuttered plants to build nissans...

Chrysler gets ??? your guess is as good as mine...maybe a mini car from Japan to sell as a chrysler ....

Besides the 300C/Charger/challenger...and the viper ...Chryslers cars suck. They could use some help as they cancel that horrible looking Sebring..

what kind of drugs were the designers on when they built that thing...and how did the board ever approve of it.

[Tiger]

The platform mates Armada and QX56 sell a heck of a lot LESS than the Titan! MY guess is you'd think one of the 3 would of been successful. Since none really have been...this may be truth. The Infiniti version is slated for death next year reportedly.

The Honda Ridgeline may be next...it's sales dipped to ~2,300 last month. Yikes.

[suburbanfoo]

[quote=JBsZ06;1263329]Maybe chrysler will get a Nissan 350 z offshoot? How about a maxima? or better yet a GTR with a hemi!

Nissan gets the Ram.

Probably more along the lines of Nissan getting a Ram offshoot and maybe a few shuttered plants to build nissans...

Chrysler gets ??? your guess is as good as mine...maybe a mini car from Japan to sell as a chrysler ....quote]


I think I'm gonna throw up

[benroethig]

Nissan's problem has never been with the truck, it's been with the way they've packaged it. They don't understand the process of full size truck buyers. There are only 3 cab/bed/powertrain combinations. The other manufacturers, Toyota included, give you w wide assortment of cab, bed, and engine options.

[titanguy]

Originally Posted by benroethig

Nissan's problem has never been with the truck, it's been with the way they've packaged it. They don't understand the process of full size truck buyers. There are only 3 cab/bed/powertrain combinations. The other manufacturers, Toyota included, give you w wide assortment of cab, bed, and engine options.

I assume they did not want to come out with all kinds of configurations until they knew that it was going to sell. They concentrated on the configuration that sells to most truck buyers.
The biggest problem with the Titan is that Nissan does not show how it is better than its competitors or how it stands out. The Titan was the first truck that came out with the bed rail system and wide opening extended cab doors. GM copied these on the GMT-900's. They innovated two things GM or Ford should have come up with ten years ago.
The main selling point of this truck is the drivetrain. It is phenomenal. This truck has more power and is smoother than my 96 Sierra with the 5.7 and my 03 Sierra with the 5.3. Case in point. I live in Denver, CO and drive up to the mountains to go skiing all the time. My Sierra would hunt for gears like crazy on grades while spinning 4000+ rpm just to get up the hill. The Titan holds the same gear the entire way up a steep grade at 9000 ft at barely 2500 rpm. Even people who know nothing about trucks mention to me how much smoother the Titan is than my old Sierra. In fact until the new Tundra came out the Titan was the most powerful half ton truck. In every test it outaccelerated the big 3 loaded or unloaded.
Though it only has one more gear than the Sierra I had the difference is huge. Here it is 2008 and the Titan has had a five speed since 2004 and the GM trucks still have "the clunker" four speed.
The GM trucks are light years ahead as far as the interior and options however. Nissan needed to let people know if you want a real truck you buy a Titan. The Titan has the best off road credentials of any half ton. GM has a cheesy plastic airdam on the front while my Titan has a skid plate.(not to mention 3 inches of extra clearance with class leading approach/departure angles) It also produces massive low end torque which all the other manufacturers seem to have forgotten should be a truck staple.
The bottom line is that the Titan will probably never sell 100k units. It may even be discontinued. If more people would give it a test drive I am convinced they would buy it over other models. I did my research and for what I want in a truck, off road capability, low end torque, and handling the Titan is the best for me. I would like to buy another GM truck but not until they stop trying to make them into cars. It's a TRUCK remember what that means?

[Michael_S]

The Titan has been criticized for a poor interior, poor reliability, and noticeably low gas mileage.

The first really isn't a big deal in a truck. A nice interior is good to have, but no fan of the GM GMT800s (the previous generation Silverado and Sierra) thought their generic interiors were a real problem.

The second is a problem. Even if you only carry groceries in your truck, toughness is part of the image and you want it to be good. Nissan also, to my knowledge, hasn't extended the warranty on the Titan. A 7 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty would help a lot.

Low gas mileage is also a problem. The GM 5.3 may be nowhere near as powerful, but it's powerful enough and delivers 16-17 mpg for most drivers. I hear the Titan typically gets 12-13 mpg. In 100,000 miles of driving, that's a $6000 difference in fuel costs.

I genuinely like the Titan, and I think more competition is good. But add those three problems plus the fact that it doesn't have an established reputation like the Big Three or even one like Toyota, and you have problems.

[61BelAir]

1st year quality was pretty bad on the Titans and probably had a lot to do with subsequent years sales.