REPORT: Even without Dodge Ram, Ghosn says Nissan Titan will survive
When Dodge announced that it wouldn't be sharing its Ram platform with Nissan, we just kind of assumed that the Titan was going to go the way of the Do Do. Why? Because Titan sales are the suck. Nissan has only sold 15,393 copies of its largest truck through the first 10 months of the year. For perspective, Ford sold more F-150s in the first two weeks of October than Nissan has sold in 43 weeks. Last year wasn't much better either, as only 30,000 customers walked out of a Nissan dealer with a new Titan.
But if a report from Inside Line is to be believed, the Titan will live on. Renault/Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn reportedly told IL that "Titan will have a replacement, we are staying in the large pickup truck market." It makes a bit of sense that there will be another Titan given the fact that Nissan also uses the basic platform for the Infiniti QX56 and the Nissan Armada. But then again those portly SUVs aren't exactly flying off the shelf, either.
Speculation is that Nissan could be looking for an outside partner (or already have one) to collaborate on a new pickup. We're thinking one candidate could be Toyota. The only other Japanese automaker competing directly with the domestics in the U.S. half-ton pickup truck market, Toyota was expecting to produce 200,000 units per year of the Tundra when the it launched, but has sold only 66,000 through October. Teaming up with Nissan would help bring costs down, soak up extra production capacity and mitigate the risk inherent in competing against Ford, GM and Chrysler at what they do best.
Gallery: 2008 Nissan Titan
[Source: Inside Line]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Jimbo 6:58PM (11/15/2009)
I'm not sure it does make sense. The next QX56 is based on the Nissan Patrol and the Armada's future is hazy, although since they are now committed to the Titan maybe the Armada will live on.
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Jei 8:33AM (11/16/2009)
After seeing the next oversees QX56, it would be nice if the Armada got some new exterior pieces. And along those lines, it would make sense for Nissan to be a little cautious about investing in another large truck unless they can realize costs savings or have something far better than the current model on the streets today.
Mike7 6:59PM (11/15/2009)
Uh, autoblog, there is no such thing as a *Dodge* Ram anymore, remember?
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Jimbo 7:31PM (11/15/2009)
Well, the story is still technically true. Dodge announced that it wasn't going to share the Ram platform with Nissan. At the time of that announcement, Ram was still under the Dodge umbrella and hadn't been spun off into its own brand yet.
Hiimandy1 10:29PM (11/15/2009)
I am confused as to what there is anymore. Is it the "Ram Ram"? The "Ram...Big Truck"? just "The Ram"?
Syllepses 10:40PM (11/15/2009)
They should definitely call it the "Ram Big Truck"
Scott K. 12:33AM (11/16/2009)
Hiimandy1: Ram 1500, 2500, etc., like what they're doing right now, but without the Dodge name. Ram the brand, 1500 (2500, etc.) the model.
Jimbo 11:29PM (11/15/2009)
According to Chrylser's website, it'll be:
Ram 1500
Ram 2500 & 3500
Ram Chassis Cab 3500/4500/5500
Ram Dakota
I'm betting that the Sprinter replacement will simply be called Van, and that the Dakota replacement will simply be a number (500 would fit the naming scheme, but some other model in the same showroom might have that one taken).
fmwso 7:27PM (11/15/2009)
I think they should just get rid of the Titan since it's not selling well.
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Tony 7:28PM (11/15/2009)
Please, enough of the brand sharing please. Nissan just concentrate on making the Frontier better. How about a little smaller with a 4 cylinder diesel to compete against the new Mahindra trucklet from India but with better quality and dealer service. Set yourself apart and stop trying to join the pack.
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Ducatinova 7:30PM (11/15/2009)
. Ford and GM have an Iron loyalty group . Small business and tradesmen make up a huge % of truck sales. Many will never change what they buy.. Nissan also shot it's self in the foot with the Titan when it first came out. Quality was just not up to Import standards. I personally know three guys that bought them, They had repeated trips back to the dealer for brake problems, squeaks and odd noises. I personally have no use for a pickup truck. If i were to buy one, it would have to be something small. 1970's style mini truck or a diesel Jeep pickup truck is about all I would ever want.
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Tony 7:34PM (11/15/2009)
WOW! What did I just post? Nissan are you listening? There are two right here that would buy a simple 4 cylinder diesel.
Jimbo 7:40PM (11/15/2009)
Count me in too. I'm eying the Mahindra pickup closely. I don't care for the ancient styling but it has a diesel engine and the price will likely be right.
fixitfixitstop 7:49PM (11/15/2009)
"Quality was just not up to Import standards."
No, the problem was that it wasn't up to DOMESTIC standards.
Ducatinova 8:08PM (11/15/2009)
yeah, the Mahindra diesel truck really interests me.I love the look of it. I like the idea of something like a Jeep CJ10 Pick up ( the one that was never sold in the USA) or Land rover Defender pick up truck. I've looked at at as much info as i can find on the Pickup. Looked at road test videos and such. The only deal killer for me is the fact that they are saying automatic only for the US market. My family doesn't buy automatics. period.
Ducatinova 8:20PM (11/15/2009)
I won't get into a flame war about domestic vs import quality standards, I know a lot of domestic buyers that just expect problems and don't seem to grip about them. I work with a guy that has a 2005 Chevy truck that has had the transmission replaced along with other problems. He will look you dead in the face and say it's the best truck made, best truck he has ever had. (he only buys Chevy trucks) That mind set is why Ford and GM still have a huge share of the large truck market. IMO, It's also why they had such a huge part of the auto market until people got a taste of Japanese reliability.
fixitfixitstop 11:35PM (11/15/2009)
I think my point went way over your head.
daleam 1:46PM (11/16/2009)
"Ducatinova - IMO, It's also why they had such a huge part of the auto market until people got a taste of Japanese reliability."
You mean like 3.5 million sludged up Toyota engines, rotting Tundra frames which really are literally falling apart? Piss-poor accelerator design which is killing people? Reliability from brands such as Suzuki, Isuzu, Mazda and Scion, all of which rank seventh and below, FROM THE BOTTOM?
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?id=2009043
Stop the generalizations. The Japanese reliability you speak of is limited to just a few brands and even at that, Toyota's Scion has a horrible reliability rating. And it's just getting worse all the time with Toyota as they have had issue after issue after issue. It's just a matter of time before the general public catches on that American quality is every bit as good as Japanese quality and in many cases even better.
ebleyes 7:32PM (11/15/2009)
I really don't know why Japanese automakers are still trying to sell big trucks, the only places that I know buy these vehicles are NA and the middle east and I'm really not sure if they made any money from it.
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warren wilkinson 8:06PM (11/15/2009)
I've got a great recommendation. Why don't both Nissan and Toyota pack up their bags and go home. America would be a better place without them.
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