Chicago Auto Show First Look: Nissan Titan King Cab Is Built for Business
Nissan’s New Extended-Cab Pickup May be the Goldilocks Truck for the Commercial Market
The 2017 Nissan Titan King Cab is one of the world debuts at this year’s Chicago Auto Show; an event known for being the most consumer-oriented of its kind.
It makes sense, then, that Nissan debuted this truck in Chicago. The Nissan Titan King Cab is built for the consumer — specifically the commercial/business consumer.
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Customers who own businesses tend to gravitate toward single- and extended-cab pickups, and Nissan is going the extra mile to cater to these customers by offering a cargo-hauler-style rear seat-delete option on the Titan King Cab. The rear seat-delete is a segment first, and offers a fully flat load floor. With rear-hinged doors and no B-pillar to obstruct cargo loading when both the front and rear cab doors are open, the Titan King Cab will offer storage versatility reminiscent of cargo vans.
Also a segment first: a five-year, 100,000-mile, bumper-to-bumper warranty. For van lovers who like the styling of a pickup, and peace-of-mind warranty coverage, perhaps this the truck for you.
Watch Fred Diaz, Nissan’s general manager for North American trucks, go into more detail about the new 2017 Nissan Titan King Cab.
With the launch of the Nissan Titan King Cab, Nissan now covers 85 percent of the truck market. Before launching the second-generation Titan just over a year ago, they were involved in less than 50 percent of the truck market.
With four new Titan variants on sale, in just over a year Nissan has increased its market share from less than half a percent to almost two percent. Also during that time, the Nissan Titan has become the most awarded truck of 2016. It has also earned the prestigious Texas Auto Writers Association Truck of Texas award and Truck Trend’s Truck of the Year.
As the Titan continues to gain momentum and awards in the marketplace, it will be interesting to see how it can cut into the king’s market share. Of course the 40-year reigning king of the full-size truck segment is the Ford F-Series, which has all four tires planted north of 35 percent market penetration.
Now that Nissan has completed its Titan lineup,
the automaker is better prepared than ever to battle full-size competitors.
So is this extended-cab Titan a true player in its segment? Having crawled all over the Titan King Cab SV 4×4 you see in the gallery below, upon first impressions, yes, it is a player.
I found the King Cab roomy despite the fact that it offers the least passenger volume in its class. I have yet to drive a Titan King Cab, but if this truck drives similar to the Titan XD Crew Cab I drove last year during Nissan’s Habitat for Humanity build, it should feel market-competitive.
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Now that Nissan has completed its second-gen Titan lineup with the King Cab’s launch, it appears the Japanese automaker is better prepared than ever to do battle in the incredibly competitive North American full-size truck market. With their newest, cargo-focused product, they’ve got a plan for targeting a specific commercial buyer, their product lineup covers most of the truck market, and the truck itself is pretty solid.
No one expects the new Titan to give the F-Series a run for its money in the sales race — in 2016 the F-Series sold 820,799 units — but if the new Titan lineup can approach five percent market share in 2017 with sales nearing 120,000, that will be a resounding victory. Nissan may just be able to hit that mark the second time around with a complete Titan portfolio.
If you’re in Chicagoland, check out the new Nissan Titan King Cab on display now until Feb. 20 at the Chicago Auto Show.
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