Production of the 2016 Titan is well underway at Nissan's Canton, Mississippi assembly facility
2016 Nissan Titan
Although it currently builds a number of models including both the Altima sedan and Murano CUV, no vehicle is more important to the brand's hopes of future market share gains in the U.S. than the latest addition to Nissan's Canton, Mississippi Assembly Plant than the 2016 Titan pickup.
That's because it's hardly a secret that the Japanese manufacturers have found it excruciatingly difficult gaining a foothold in America’s full-size pickup market. Unlike sedan and SUV buyers, pickup owners are remarkably brand loyal.
Several years ago, Nissan even entertained the idea of killing off the Titan and, to fill the gap, selling a rebadged Ram 1500. Chrysler's acquisition by Fiat undoubtedly quashed those plans, so Nissan opted for Plan B: re-engineering the Titan while also hiring then-Ram CEO Fred Diaz away from FCA to run its operations here in the U.S.
All those efforts came to fruition in late November when Job One rolled off the assembly line, marking the official production launch of the all-new 2016 Nissan TITAN XD full-size pickup.
"It has been a long, hard journey getting to today and I want to express my appreciation to the entire TITAN XD team," said José Muñoz, executive vice president, Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. and chairman, Nissan North America, Inc., referring to the truck's planning, design, engineering, testing and manufacturing teams from Nissan facilities across the United States. "And now, the real hard work begins right here on this production line – delivering the promise of innovation and excitement designed into the new TITAN to our customers."
Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant
For those unfamiliar with Nissan's U.S. assembly operations, the Canton facility became operational in May of 2003. It now has more than 6,000 employees and has produced more than three million vehicles to date. The facility covers 4.2 million square feet. Along with the TITAN XD, models produced include Altima, Armada, Frontier, NV Cargo Van, NV Passenger Van and Murano.
2016 Titan XD is just the start
The first Titan model to be assembled will be the XD Crew Cab – the current "Truck of Texas" that's positioned between traditional light- and heavy-duty models and should go head-to-head with the Detroit three.
Power comes from a 5.0-liter Cummins V8 Turbo Diesel producing 310 horsepower and 555 lb.-ft. of torque. The eventual lineup will feature three cab configurations, two frame sizes, three powertrain offerings and five trim levels.
Following the XD Crew Cab's launch in December of 2015, the rollout of additional 2016 Titan models - which will be offered in three cab configurations, two frame sizes, three powertrain offerings and five grade levels – will continue.
2016 Nissan Titan prices and availability
Although pricing for the 2016 XD as well as pricing and specific dates that the balance of the model line will become available have yet to be announced, Nissan states that "more information on the full lineup will be available at a later date."
