Nissan Motor Company is exploring the possibility of a small, light electric pickup truck for the US market. This is an idea supported by the US dealer who requested the vehicle. But while a new electric pickup is a possibility, it appears Nissan is still planning to discontinue the Titan and exit the full-size truck market in early 2024.
Last summer, we reported that Nissan was considering discontinuing production of the Titan, which never caught on in a US market dominated by Ford, Ram, and Chevrolet. Titan sales didn’t even break into the top 15 in 2022. It was even beaten by the Rivian R1T which sold 20,332 units.
However, Nissan dealers do not agree with this plan. According to Nissan Advisory Board Chairman Tyler Slade, the full-size truck market is highly lucrative and revenue-driven for the parts and service business. Additionally, the full-size pickup provides upgrade options for Nissan Frontier owners loyal to the brand.
Full-size pickup trucks not only offer more capability but also help attract and retain commercial customers who buy or lease truck fleets. “Businesses prefer to get their fleet from the same brand for maintenance reasons,” Slade said in an interview with Automotive News.
But even if Nissan discontinues the Titan, it seems poised to go in a new direction with a small, light new electric truck to complement the Frontier. “The Frontier Hardbody has been part of the Nissan brand for decades,” said Slade. “It’s logical to come up with an electric version.”
In contrast to the Nissan Titan, the mid-size Frontier made the top 15 list, coming in at number 9. It sold 76,183 units, which beat out other popular trucks such as the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Ranger, and Ford Maverick. Adding a smaller electric truck, or even an electric version of the Frontier would also be consistent with the strategy adopted by other companies moving forward with plans to electrify their most popular truck models.
