You know that the Nissan Titan is the sixth-ranked truck in US sales, and has been for years.
But we’d wager you did not know exactly how far the Titan lags behind the top-five trucks: the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, RAM 1500, GMC Sierra and Toyota Tundra.
Per The Wall Street Journal’s report today, the 2014 calendar sales of the Nissan Titan were less than 15,000 units. In total. For the whole year.
Versus the Ford F-150’s 750,000 2014 sales, the Titan made up just 2-percent with its paltry 15,000-unit tally. The Titan peaked around 2006 with around 80,000 sales annually, but has been in freefall since then without any meaningful updates or improvements.
So, with that in mind, quadrupling sales to 60,000 units annually seems very do-able for the new Titan.
It is notable that the Titan (and Frontier) are complete outliers on the Nissan sales graph. Overall sales for the Nissan brand in the US have been on a consistent and steep upward trend since 2007, beating the market every year even in the downturn years.
Based on Nissan’s (somewhat tiresome) year-long promotion of the new Titan’s development process, you know they are really aiming to repair the Titan — and perhaps match the Tundra’s 100,000 sales eventually. After all — how on Earth could they justify the entire factory when producing so few vehicles?!
The new Titan appears heavily influenced by the Ford F-250, in both style and engine choices. Nissan’s decision to go even larger and more capable for the 2016 model speaks to their ambition with the new flagship 5.0-liter Cummins turbodiesel engine option.
This 1500-truck exclusive light diesel will not be cheap to purchase, but is promised to deliver a whopping 12,000-pounds of towing capacity.
So will the Titan make an impact with its new heavy-duty style and engine power?
Time will tell.
From this position, the new Titan is quite unpleasant in its derivative design. Even so, sales certainly can’t get any worse……
2016 Nissan Titan XD
2016 NISSAN TITAN XD MAKES WORLD DEBUT AT NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
12/01/15
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Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn unveils 2016 TITAN XD, marking Nissan’s aggressive return to the full-size pickup battlefield
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All-new TITAN XD design, anchored by powerful Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel, carves out “new class” of full-size truck between current heavy-duty and light-duty offerings
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Bold TITAN XD exterior and interior designs follow “powerful precision tool” theme – topped with new Warrior-inspired TITAN badging
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Created for American buyers – with core planning, design and engineering conducted in Tennessee, California, Michigan and Arizona – new Nissan TITAN will be assembled in Mississippi, with engines from Tennessee and Indiana
DETROIT – Nissan today debuted the all-new Nissan TITAN full-size pickup to a standing room-only crowd of international media at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. Presiding over the dramatic reveal was Nissan President and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn, who stated, “With the 2016 Nissan TITAN XD, we weren’t just going for ‘best-in-class.’ Instead, we are offering the ‘Best New Class.'”
The new TITAN XD, the first of the new generation of Nissan TITAN models, creates a new segment of the American market. It offers the effortless towing and hauling of the larger, more expensive heavy-duty trucks – yet has the fuel-efficiency and affordability of half-ton pickups. It is projected to go on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in late 2015.
Powered by a new Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel rated at 310 horsepower and hefty 555 lb-ft of torque, the 2016 TITAN XD will offer an available maximum towing capacity of more than 12,000 pounds (when properly equipped), along with available cutting-edge towing features such as an integrated gooseneck hitch engineered into the frame.
Additional available TITAN XD utility features and convenience aids include RearView Monitor with Trailer Guides, Around View® Monitor (AVM) with Moving Object Detection (MOD) and a Trailer Light Check system that allows one-person hook-up operation – including checking turn signals, brake lights and running/clearance lights from outside the vehicle. Also available are Blind Spot Warning (BSW) and a Front and Rear Sonar System.
The wide range of available interior features includes front and rear NASA-inspired Zero Gravity seats and a large center console designed to serve as a mobile workstation.
“The new TITAN will deliver toughness, capability and quality,” added Ghosn. “In addition to a range of cab configurations, the TITAN lineup will ultimately encompass multiple powertrain choices. These include an all-new workhorse gasoline V8, as well as our first V6 offering in this class.”
More details on the full Nissan TITAN lineup will be announced at a later date.
The all-new TITAN, like the first-generation Titan, was developed with core Nissan planning, design, engineering and manufacturing teams contributing from Tennessee, California, Michigan, Arizona and Mississippi.
The all-new TITAN also underscores Nissan’s commitment to localized production. Nissan has invested more than $5 billion in the United States in the past five years and has moved manufacturing for several models from overseas to its North American plants.
“Our growing U.S. presence is bolstering our performance and helped to make 2014 a year of significant growth for Nissan in the U.S.,” said Ghosn. “Our operations, our network of partners, and – most importantly – our products are stronger than ever. Nissan is targeting 10 percent market share in the U.S. And the all-new TITAN is a key part of our growth strategy.”
The new TITAN XD Crew Cab is the first of three cab configurations, two frame sizes, three powertrain offerings and five grade levels to be available later in the Nissan TITAN lineup. More information on the full lineup will be available at a later date.
For photography and additional information about the 2016 Nissan TITAN XD, along with the complete lineup of 2015 Nissan vehicles, please visit NissanNews.com.
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.
About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan’s second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 244,500 employees globally, Nissan sold almost 5.2 million vehicles and generated revenue of 10.5 trillion yen (USD 105 billion) in fiscal 2013. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.