CONFIRMED: Nissan Titan to get HEMI-fied
Even in a down pickup truck market, the all-new Dodge Ram should be a boon to Chrysler and not just because it's a far better truck than the one it replaces. The new Ram will also be the next Nissan Titan, a deal that helps Chrysler keep its truck factories running closer to maximum capacity. With Nissan borrowing Ram mechanicals and engineering, the assumption has been that Chrysler's 5.7L HEMI V8 was going to be part of the package. Nissan officials have continually denied that any decision about the truck's engine of choice has yet to be made and that its own Evolution 5.6L powerplant was still under consideration.
Chrysler chairman Jim Press put any speculation to rest when he declared at an LA Motor Guild meeting recently that the Nissan Titan would indeed receive HEMI power. After our friend Mike Levine from Pickuptrucks.com broke the news, Nissan responded by saying that it has made no decisions concerning the HEMI engine and when it does, the announcement would come from Nissan. It makes sense that the next Titan would be HEMI-fied, especially considering that the engineering needed to mate the HEMI and Ram platform has already been done and paid for, and part logistics are already in sync with truck assembly. Plus, the new HEMI produces a class-leading 390 horsepower and gets decent fuel economy for a big, burly truck engine. Nissan could do much worse.
[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
matka 11:07AM (9/03/2008)
Dumb. Just ask Mistubishi how well re badged dodge trucks sell.
Reply
Eric Liberatore 11:07AM (9/03/2008)
Amen!
Why doesn't Nissan just pull out of the dying truck market anyway instead of latching on to a company that is on death-watch?
TJ 11:15AM (9/03/2008)
Yeah, since the Raider was such a good looking truck....
but hey, look on cars.com for raiders with under 2k miles and see the steals you can get on some of the never-registered models.
Also... the current model Dakota is far from good, whereas the new ram is really top-of-class competitive.
Jason 12:03PM (9/03/2008)
Maybe if the Raider wasn't even an butt-uglier turd than the Dakota, it might have sold...
Galley 12:10PM (9/03/2008)
Mitsubishi still sells pickups?
Frank 12:33PM (9/03/2008)
"Why doesn't Nissan just pull out of the dying truck market anyway instead of latching on to a company that is on death-watch?"
Sounds like you have been visiting "The Lies About Cars" website. Don't believe everything you read there, they're long on opinion and short on facts.
SimbaDogg 12:17AM (9/04/2008)
@ TJ
haha, i thought you were messing around w/ the sub 2k miles cars. But there are a BOAT LOAD of raiders w/ less than 2k, even some w/ sub 500 miles on them. Kinda weird that theres so many for a 2 year old vehicle, and its not a collector car.
TJ 11:06AM (9/04/2008)
Yep. Just finished looking for a new truck/SUV, stumbled across all of those. If any had been 4x4 I might have given them a more serious look.
Pdexter 11:08AM (9/03/2008)
I guess i'm just tired, but that picture made me laugh.
Reply
MemphisNET 11:14AM (9/03/2008)
The simple answer of 'yup' is what made me chuckle too.
This will only help Chrysler. Titan's were quite popular when I was up in Fort McMurray, Alberta at the various oil sands projects.
Personally, I'd go for the original, but those who love ''imports'' will get a great truck out of the deal.
JZeke 11:12AM (9/03/2008)
Do Nissan trucks perform poorly in the marketplace? I knew a couple people who had Titans and they loved them.
Reply
Erik 11:23AM (9/03/2008)
Yes, the Titan has always been a poor seller compared to it's rivals. Good call on Nissan's part. They will reduce future investment and R&D cost without throwing away all the money they have already spent trying to build the Titan name. They'll leave the building of the full size trucks to the experts and concentrate on their own strong suit - small pickups and cars.
JZeke 11:35AM (9/03/2008)
Thanks for the response, that does make a lot of sense.
Maybe Chrysler could reverse the relationship and benefit from that expertise in smaller cars then?
h8rain 12:01PM (9/03/2008)
I have a 07 Titan and I love mine. The truck has great capabilities while staying comfortable. I have a 4x4 with the Off-Road package. My wife and I go camping in with it (not with a camper, but the truck bed tent). This is the only truck I have owned (I have had a 626, Protege5, two Miatas, and a 350z before the truck), and it is probably one of my favorite vehicles.
This makes me wonder about the Armada and the Inifiniti QX56. Will they become re-badged Dodges, go stale with no updates, or just get axed.
John 2:58PM (9/03/2008)
Nissan is in fact building a small Versa based B car for Chrysler in the US market.
Gary 11:22AM (9/03/2008)
I guess that domestics aren't that bad after all if the Japanese are now sharing platforms and powertrains with the Americans... it used to be only the other way around.
Reply
TJ 11:24AM (9/03/2008)
Did it really? You don't say. Please give examples.
EXPJawa 11:37AM (9/03/2008)
I suspect he's referring to the likes of the Chevy LUV, Ford Courier and Dodge Raider. There's never been a full-sized American-badged truck based on a Japanese platform...
Jrejre 12:31PM (9/03/2008)
I don't think he was specifically talking about trucks.
MikeW 11:48AM (9/03/2008)
Will it get the 7 speed automatic from the Fx50?
Reply