Big sales goal for new Titan may be low, Nissan's Munoz says - Automotive News
startled many auto industry observers last week when it said it envisioned the redesigned 2016 Titan capturing 5 percent of the U. S. full-size pickup market. But Nissan’s U. S. boss, Jose Munoz, says 5 percent might be on the low side. “I would say ‘more than 5 percent,’” clarified Munoz, chairman of Nissan North America. Munoz commented on the Titan sales target late Thursday after he spoke at the J. D. Power Automotive Summit. Nissan sold fewer than 13,000 Titans last year, even as the pickup truck market expanded as the economy grew and, in part, because of falling gas prices. A 5 percent share of the 2014 full-size pickup market would translate to about 120,000 sales. Munoz told the audience that Nissan is looking for roughly 100,000 Titan sales. In the first two years of U. S. sales for the outgoing Titan, 2004 and 2005, Nissan sold approximately 85,000 Titans. But Nissan has redesigned the truck for 2016 to appeal to a wider spectrum of buyers starting late this year, Munoz said. While the first-generation Titan relied on only one engine offering, the new version will offer more engine and cab configurations, including a turbocharged V-8 Cummins diesel engine. “We sold about 100,000 with only 55 percent of segment coverage, with less engines,” Munoz reasoned, referring the Titan’s 2004-05 success. Source: www.autonews.com
