Exploiting the competition’s weaknesses
Launching a new model in the US pickup landscape is a task pretty similar to that of squeezing a tsunami through a keyhole. Yet Nissan is willing to try everything.
Nissan's player on the pickup pitch in the United States bears the Titan nameplate, and besides being granted a single cab version not so long ago, the workhorse has another ace up its sleeve, this time concerning warranty.
The Japanese carmaker announced that its Titan and Titan XD full-size trucks will benefit from a 'bumper-to-bumper coverage of 5-years or 100,000-miles, whichever comes first.' Random decision? We doubt it.
According to USA Today, quoting Autodata, Nissan's Titan lineup trails behind the most prominent players in the full-size pickup truck segment, with only 1,143 Titans sold last month.
To put things into perspective, the same publication notes that Ford sold 65,657 F-Series trucks and 54,116 Chevrolet Silverados found their owners, together with 39,827 Ram trucks and 10,474 Toyota Tundras.
So, is this tactic bound to make a difference? Nissan certainly believes that's the case, but we'll let sales charts do the talking.
"We think that extending the same coverage to our full-size pickups, whether used for personal or commercial use, is a game changer in the segment."
Fred Diaz, division vice president and general manager, North America Trucks and Light Commercial Vehicles, Nissan North America.