Heavy-duty Nissan Titan on track for 2009
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Nissan does plan on building a heavy-duty version of its Nissan Titan pickup that will be ready for sale in late 2009. Production of the Quest minivan at the company's Canton, Miss. plant where both models are produces will likely be moved to make room for the bigger pickup. The Detroit News reports the truck would target contractors and trailer haulers, though doesn't comment on whether the new Nissan would gets its own beefy design like Ford's Super Duty line or settle for a pumped up version of the Titan's skin. Nissan sold 99,775 Titans last year, which, considering the market for full-size trucks is either holding steady or falling means that those sales were swiped from Ford, GM and Dodge. Expect this segment to get even more crowded when the new Toyota Tundra arrives.
[Source: WSJ via The Detroit News]
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg "2011 Audi A8: Live from Miami")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
matt 3:34PM (12/01/2008)
Diesel is on its way! I am hearing early 2010, going to bring it out for the titan, the maxima and some of the commercial vans Nissan will be building most likely
Reply
Manny 10:57AM (6/22/2006)
I am not a big fan of domestic cars but in my opinion domestic pickups are way ahead of the Japanese. The closest real competitor was this new Titan that came out. It matched the horspower/torque characteristics of the domestics. A heavy duty version would certainly be interesting...
Reply
Chris 11:06AM (6/22/2006)
Why would they make a heavy duty? They can't sell the regular duty Titan!
Reply
law trainee 11:14AM (6/22/2006)
its probably an effort to use the excess capacity at the plant.
the real question is, would they have a diesel avaliable? around 70% of heavy truck buyers opt for the more expensive diesel. a dualie is also important if they want to tap the heavy duty market, but not as important as diesel.
Reply
Son of Dat 11:30AM (6/22/2006)
They will sell a heavy duty truck - maybe not as many as ford (ok - no where near the numbers of ford) but its a start.
It also helps build the percerption that Nissan trucks are tough and can stand up to the challenge.
Reply
bernie 11:38AM (6/22/2006)
The regular Titan tows 9,400 lbs & they think that's not enough?
I think the average pickup owner has become the poster child for penis envy.
Reply
Lorenzo 12:32PM (6/22/2006)
Ford should offer a big horsepower (260-280 HP)large (3.5 L +/- V6) like the one found in Nissan products (3.5 L 260-298 HP V6). The standard V-8 in the F150 is weak and thristy.
Reply
LK 2:40PM (6/22/2006)
If Nissan doesn't offer a diesel, they might as well not even bother with a heavy-duty version. They also need to start offering a regular-cab version, and an 8-foot box needs to be an option with all cab styles.
Bernie: the current Titan is supposedly rated to tow 9500 pounds - but that's a meaningless statistic, because the truck's payload is too low. A 9500 pound conventional trailer has a tongue weight of 950 pounds...and since the total payload of the truck is about 1450 pounds, that only leaves 500 pounds for passengers & cargo. Plus, most trailers of that size are fifth-wheels or goosenecks - and a 9500 pound gooseneck or fifth-wheel will put approximately 1900 pounds on the truck...which is more than the truck can carry. In the real world, the maximum tow capacity of the Titan is around 5000-6000 pounds. This is actually true of most half-ton trucks - if you're going to tow more than that on a regular basis, you need to move up to a larger truck.
As far as your second comment, I don't know anyone with a 3/4-ton or larger truck that doesn't actually use it to haul loads and pull trailers - the poseurs usually stick with half-tons.
Reply
Nissan Titan Forum 2:54PM (6/22/2006)
This has been rumored for some while. In fact, Nissan Engineers actually signed up @ TitanTalk.com and posted a spreadsheet with questions for alot of users to answer, such as if they would buy a diesel version, etc.
To discuss this, check out the Nissan Titan Forums at:
http://www.titantalk.com
Reply
Paul 5:25PM (6/22/2006)
This truck would be more desireable if it was actually made in Japan instead of poorly assembled by subpar american workers. the reality is that it is just another crappy american product with a Nissan name.
Reply
Bob Miller 6:40PM (6/22/2006)
Paul,
Why are you such a douche bag?
Reply
Dee 12:07PM (6/28/2006)
Titan is alittle less than a 3/4 ton truck and ALOT more than the big 3's 1/2 ton trucks... your'e right i'm not going to tow 10K+,but i really didn't need a 3/4 chevy 95% of the time. The Titan is a great fit for many uses and puts a smile on my face every time I drive it - what more can I ask?
Reply
Fat Man 6:00PM (7/18/2006)
I traded in my Dodge 1500 over a year ago on a Titan and I must say it is one bad ass truck. I have never driven a truck that is actually enjoyable to drive and that has the power and performance of this thing. I actually look forward to driving it everyday. I will never tow 9500lbs with it, but I do occasionally to 5500lbs and it handles the load like its not even thier.
Reply
Dave 6:26PM (7/18/2006)
I traded my ford F-150 for my TITAN and it was the best thing I have ever done(vehicle wise). I LOVE this truck! It is 1 bad azz truck! I plan on having it for another 220k miles and 1 million smiles! I get plenty of comments also from by-standers. Never got that in my ford or my GMC seirra!
Reply
dave 11:22PM (8/04/2006)
funny, i traded back my titan for a ford, nightmare is over.
Reply
jordan 11:50PM (8/10/2006)
my titan is the fastest truck on the road, with a little work of course, but it looks better than anything on the road right now, i did have brake problems, but so did the new rams, i love my titan, and i challenge anyone to go stock vs. stock with a titan.
Reply
willaim 1:17AM (8/29/2006)
I have an '05 Titan with the offroad/bigtow pkgs. I have been towing my 29' Mako offshore boat on a triple axle/braked trailer for 2 years now. I finally found a scale to weigh the package. Surprisingly, the boat/trailer weighs 11,500lbs. Granted I am way over and probably very irresponsible, however I have not had one close call or issue. It can literally stop on a dime, controls all sway, and will tow all ramps with no trouble at all and has pulling power to spare! This is in Florida where everything is just about flat though. I have owned all the major trucks except dodge and would never attempt this with any other 1/2 ton on the market. I am not a brand freak but this truck is truely awesome. Please note I have interest in the new Chevy Diesel 3/4 ton coming out in 2 years, it looks strangely similar to the Titan.
Reply
nicole 3:33PM (4/01/2007)
I have an 04 Titan SE and I also love it. I replaced my Dodge Durango 5.9 RT with it and had plans to buy a Full Size Dodge Hemi Truck until I test drove the Titan. I was love at first Throttle!! We had some problems with the breaks but Nissan replaced them at no charge and even extended the warranty on them by 60k miles. I own a body shop and tow customer vehicles with my truck with no problem at all. I did however add the tow package to my SE. With my experience with vehicles as a body shop owner I must say that when I scrapped the pole at the bank drive thru with my Titan (its a biggen') we found it surprisingly easy to disasseble unlike the god awful fords and chevys that come in here. Nissan parts are significantly cheaper than domestic parts too!! Oh one more thing...dealer recommends to never use premium gas.. messes with the O2 sensors.. I LOVE IT EVEN MORE!!! I look forward to test driving a new Titan HD when it arrives.. Hint Hint to the Nissan folks!!
Reply