We at TFL were the first to bring you the spy photos of the next generation Nissan Titan testing in Arizona. And until now we had no official information about the next generation 2015 Nissan Titan. Today we learn that the fruit of the Nissan / Cummins partnership is the newly developed 5.0-liter V8 turbocharged diesel engine that Nissan will use in the next generation Nissan Titan pickup truck. This formal announcement came at the kick-off of the Nissan 360 industry showcase of company’s global portfolio. Fred Diaz, divisional vice president of Nissan North America, said that the Cummins Titan looks to occupy a space in the market somewhere between the traditional 1500 and 2500 HD segments. In other words, the diesel Titan is looking to carve itself a completely new niche and even win new customers. This is a tall task, but Nissan has the resources to tackle it.
Little more is known about the new 5.0-liter V8. Nissan states that it will make “more than 300 horsepower” and “in the mid-500s (lb-ft)” of torque. Of course, this new truck will be doing battle against the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. Although, Ram’s oil-burner is in a slightly different efficiency minded niche. The Ram EcoDiesel a 3.0-liter V6 with 240 hp and 420 lb-ft and tows a maximum 9,200 lbs. Nissan is clearly shooting above Ram in capability. Of course, Ram has an upper hand on being first to market. (An interesting side note: Fred Diaz was President and CEO of Ram until April of 2013.)
The next generation Nissan Titan will continue an all-American tradition. Titan engineering and testing are performed in Farmington Hill, Mich and Stanfield, Ariz. The design is done in La Jolla, Cali. The Cummins V8 will be built in Columbus, In. Titan’s gasoline engines will continue to be built in Dechert, Tenn. And vehicle assembly will continue in Canton, Miss. The Nissan Titan development spans six states and shows companies commitment to United States market and the truck segment.
Nissan stated that the Cummins powered Titan prototypes have been testing on public highways and are well underway in their development and testing. Nissan did not disclose any more details, but the next Titan cannot come soon enough. This is why I optimistically labeled it as “2015” Nissan Titan.
We look forward to testing the new Titan and putting it to the Ike Gauntlet test. In the meantime, take a look at this preview of the 2014 Ram EcoDiesel.
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, reporter, and software engineer. He has been a contributor at TFLcar since 2011. When not working or spending time with the family – you can find him tinkering in the garage or simply ‘going for a drive’.
