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HEAVY-DUTY PICKUP PLANS HALTED
Both Nissan and Toyota say they have ceased plans to enter the
heavy-duty market.
Nissan says that it plans to suspend, and possibly stop all together,
the development of its heavy-duty pickup program, according to a recent
Automotive News article. The article also mentions that Nissan
will stop production on some of its larger body-on-frame SUVs, including
the Pathfinder and Armada, and shift to smaller and more fuel-efficient
crossovers when the SUV product cycles end.
According to Automotive News, Nissan's Executive Vice
President Carlos Tavares said, “We suspended our heavy-duty truck
program because, from a business perspective, we thought that the risk
was too high.” By heavy-duty they mean a larger version of the Titan
that would compete with three-quarter and 1-ton pickups offered by
domestic OEMs. Sales of the now-cancelled heavy-duty Titans, which were
to sit on the next-generation Titan platform, was set to begin in 2009
or 2010.
According to Nissan, a heavy-duty pickup requires a dedicated frame,
suspension and transmission in order to handle higher weight loads. A
diesel engine would be mandatory since the majority of fullsize pickup
owners opt for a diesel engine, according to SEMA research.
Nissan is not the only automaker to cease plans to build a heavy-duty
pickup. Toyota was expected to launch a heavy-duty pickup in 2009 using
a vehicle developed by its Hino Motors Ltd. affiliate, but that project
has been halted indefinitely, according to Automotive News.
Source: “Nissan May Dump Heavy-Duty Pickup,” Automotive News,
www.autonews.com.
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