Nissan Motor Company is investigating the possibility of a small, lightweight electric pickup truck for the US market. It’s an idea supported by US dealerships requesting the vehicle. Still, while a new electric pickup is a possibility, it looks like Nissan is still considering ditching the Titan and exiting the full-size truck market as soon as 2024.
Last summer, we announced that Nissan was considering ending production of the Titan, which never caught on in the US market dominated by Ford, Ram and Chevrolet. Sales of the Titan didn’t even reach the top 15 in 2022. It was even beaten by the Rivian R1T, which sold 20,332 units.
However, Nissan dealerships do not agree with this plan. According to Nissan Advisory Board Chairman Tyler Slade, the full-size truck market is extremely profitable and generates revenue for the parts and service business. Additionally, a full-size pickup offers an upgrade option for brand-loyal Nissan Frontier owners.
Full-size pickup trucks not only provide more capability, but also help attract and retain commercial customers who buy or lease truck fleets. “Companies prefer to source from the same brand for maintenance reasons,” Slade said in an interview with Automotive News.
But even if Nissan is ditching the Titan, it looks set to take a new direction with a new lightweight electric small truck to complement the Frontier. “The Frontier Hardbody has been a part of the Nissan brand for decades,” Slade said. “It makes sense to bring an electric version.”
Unlike the Nissan Titan, the mid-size Frontier was in the top 15, ranking 9th. It sold 76,183 units, which beat out other popular trucks like the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Ranger, and Ford Maverick. Adding a smaller electric truck, or even an electric version of the Frontier, would also be in line with strategies adopted by other companies that are moving forward with plans to electrify their larger truck models. popular.
