They are having a tough time getting the assembly plant up to full volume. It is a brand new plant and many of their main suppliers built brand new plants in the area to support it. While it is very possible it will not be as popular as Nissan predicted, I'd say you can't trust the sales numbers fully until you start hearing they have a 100+ days supply sitting on dealer lots.

 

They are getting close

Meanwhile, inventory is piling up for the three Nissan trucks. The company had a 110-day supply of Armadas on April 1, a 97-day supply of Quests and a 95-day supply of Titans.

 

Their 5.6s are underated from the factory, though.

 

Titan is priced to be competive with American trucks...

What Nissan didn't realize is that being Japanese made was one strike against it...the fact that it looks like an angry childs bathtub toy is just the nail in the coffin. The Aztec is an example of a really cool vehicle that looks killed.

 

Maybe this will convince Nissan to ditch their holier-than-thou 'we don't need incentives to compete' attitude.

As much as I don't think incentives are good for the industry, Rick Wagoner certainly said it best when he told all the complainers to just shut up and play the game.

 

The Titan was priced to be competive withour rebates....ie they priced it to be competive with Ford and GM after those trucks had the rebates subtracted from their MSRP.


The truck is ugly...its that simple. Funny thing is they did so much research in Texas...but they didn't realize how much appearence meant. Apparently they never looked at Texas women...

 

Ive been giggling like a schoolkid for about 20 minutes now...

hehehehe....

 

No, more like a GM hater.

I agree with everyone else, the Titan is ugly and the interior is way too gimmicky. Even my diehard Nissan loving roommate shakes his head at it

 

The new F-150 weighs in at 4,205lbs with a GVW of 6,650lbs.(max load rating) The F-250 weighs in at 5,490lbs, just 200lbs more than a "portly" Titan, with a GVW of 8,800lbs(max load rating)and can tow 13,500lbs!

! The Titan tips the scales at 5,297lbs! and can only tow 9,200lbs..
The F-150 can come in over 40 different configurations too! pretty clever to me..

 

bwahahahahhaha! ahahahahahah! ahahahahah! OMFG that is the greatest line ever... classic.

 

I think that Nissan is going to learn a hard lesson in US truck sales.

1) Ugly doesn't sell unless it has LARGE incentives.

2) Truck buyers are the most loyal of any vehicle buyer out there (somewhere in the neighborhood of 90-95%).

3) You have to earn a reputation of toughness with a truck........... specifications alone will not sway most.

4) Having the fastest truck out there (sport trucks excluded) does not = instant sales. Most real truck buyers are perfectly happy as long as the engine does what it needs to, and the truck can get out of its own way. BTW, all modern full size trucks are significantly faster than they were just 10 years ago.

5) A high quality interior sells............... ask Ford about that. They are selling more high end models of the new truck than anyone would have guessed.............. including Ford themselves.

6) Ugly doesn't sell unless it has LARGE incentives (worth a second look).

If high gas prices were the cause of slow sales, all full size trucks would be in decline, sales wise. Nissan needs more variety (yes people do still work with their trucks), a lower dollar entry engine, a remake on that awful exterior (there is not a cohesive design theme in the entire truck), and heavily upgrade the quality of the interior. Then they need to sit back and wait. It will take years to begin to get a reputation for toughness (or not, depending on how the truck does in the long term).

BTW, locally in AZ, the dealerships have been offering at least $4000 off of MSRP since January. I have seen 2 on the road.

 

Personally, I like the Titan! It's got a nicer interior and better ride than any GM trucks I've driven or ridden in.

The biggest complaint I have is that chrome is on every model but the baseline. I don't like chrome, but I like the console shifter.

Oh yeah, in order to get a limited slip differential you have to get one of the optional packages (Big Tow for example)

 

Regardless of where the pricing ends up, it's all perception. I've lost count of how many times various domestic makers have tried lowering MSRPs in an attempt to get out of the rebate game. It always ends with the same disatrous results. If people don't get $3000 off their car, regardless of the final price, they think they're missing out on something and move on.

Back on the topic of looks, I think the Altima and Maxima are horribly ugly designs, yet they sell very well. Maybe Nissan thought that: a) people actually liked that design theme so they continued it with the Titan; or b) people would buy their stuff in spite of the ugly styling. Either way, they guessed wrong.

 

I've never once said the Titan or Armada was going to be taking over the domestic truck market. They just have too many deficiancies. Their build quality and interior design are actually quite possibly sub-par to a couple oftheir domestic counterparts.

Japanese vehicles sell well when they present a higher quality alternative to American consumers. But if consumers can buy domestic (something that truck buyers are especially concerned with in most cases compared to car buyers) and get a better vehicle, then what's the point?

The Titan and Armada both have some pretty incredible motors. But that's where the bucks stops. Their frames are average by the standards of the mid-late 90s, not the early-mid 00s where frames are substantially more rigid. Their rear difs are an off-roading disaster waiting to happen. And their interiors are not only cheap, but the ergonics, at least for me when I sat in one, are horrible. You feel like what you're driving is twice as big as it really is, which for me is not a good thing.

Honda is screwing around too... they're looking at bringing a truck to market pretty soon here, but it's going to be based on the Honda Element's unibody chassis with a weak selection of motors.

Really the only manufacturer from Japan that I think has a chance of shaking the market up right now is Toyota, with their impending (less than 2 years away) ground-up redesign of their full sized lineup (Tundra, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, LX470) as well as the opening of their newest plant in San Antonio Texas for the Tundra's big brother.

However even for Toyota it will be tough, as Ford and Dodge have done an excellent job of one-upping everyone else with their latest generation redesigns.

GM is a little behind everyone else right now IMO- they need to freshen up their lineup, especially in the powertrain and interior department. They need a 5-speed or 6-speed automatic, more power with the V8s, and an interior design that doesn't resemble something assembled by Fischer-price. I have faith though, as they are due for a ground-up redesign here within the next 2 years as well, and GM has always done a good job of one-upping everyone else when their time comes.

 

Personally I like the Titan, although it seems positively HUUUGE! I had to borrow my dad's Suburban a few weeks ago and was driving next to an '02+ Ram. Friggin dwarfed the 'burban. The Ram passes and right behind it was a Titan. My god, I felt so small, for a moment, I thought I was in my SVT.

Surprised to see they aren't selling well. I see Titans everywhere...but then again, I am in Texas...