Full-Size Titan Pickup and Pathfinder Armada SUV Will Be Produced Next
Can Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. truly be considered a major threat to the Big 3 in North America? Those who say never might think back to when Cadillac and Lincoln owned the top sales positions in the luxury vertical. Why pose the question? Because Japan's No. 2 car and light truck manufacturer has just moved one step closer to the target.
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| The new Canton plant will build sport utilities, pickup trucks and minivans, such as the new Nissan Quest. (Photo: Nissan) |
Yesterday, in Canton, Mississippi, Nissan started the wheels turning in its second U.S. assembly plant, a $1.97 billion (USD$1.43 billion) facility specifically built to manufacture full-size, North American-style vehicles, particularly a minivan, full-size pickup truck and sport utilities - one for Nissan and another earmarked for the Infiniti brand - the current backbone of U.S. automakers.
Ford, General Motors and Dodge, in that order, are still doing well selling their respective light trucks, but Japanese carmakers are presently conquering the North American car market, while the domestics suffer.
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| An all new threat to the Big 3, the Titan is a new full-size pickup from Japan's Nissan Motor Co., offering more muscle than Toyota's Tundra and more refinement than any of the domestics. (Photo: Nissan) |
The launch of a true full-size pickup from Japan is an altogether new threat for the domestics to consider. While Toyota Motor Corp. was the first foreign automaker to offer a full-size pickup in North America, the Tundra, the new Nissan Titan King Cab and even larger 4-door Crew Cab deliver even more muscle plus creative cargo solutions never before seen in the category. The King Cab's clamshell rear doors are revolutionary as well, folding rearward flat against the side of the truck to allow easier entry and exit. Also, interior quality will be best in class, or at least equal to the new completely upgraded Ford F-150.