Nissan Titan no closer to Oz

Nissan is launching a salvo of new models in Australia this year, including the redesigned Nissan Z sports coupe and fresh QASHQAI, X-TRAIL and Pathfinder SUVs, but it is not looking to expand its ute range beyond the Navara with the colossal Titan pick-up truck.

The top-selling vehicle in Nissan’s Australian portfolio is currently a ute – the Navara – but plans to release the bigger and more powerful US-built Titan locally, whether in factory right-hand drive form or converted here – stalled during the COVID pandemic and appear to remain a low-priority for the brand.

Big American V8 pick-ups like the Chevrolet Silverado and RAM 1500, both of which are converted to RHD by the Walkinshaw Group in Melbourne and backed by a factory warranty, have become big business in Down Under.

And Australia’s burgeoning full-size ute market will be bolstered by the arrival of the Ford F-150 in mid-2023, when the blue oval brand will officially import and convert North America’s top-selling model with help from RMA Automotive.

Ford is already heavily advertising the 2023 F-150, which will be available nationwide via its official dealer network and backed by a factory warranty, and it could become Australia’s top-selling full-size pick-up.

“The volumes are growing [in the full-size pick-up segment] and we’ve seen that before Ford decided to confirm publicly the F-150 is coming, and I assume it’s project they’ve been working on for some time,” said Nissan Australia’s managing director Adam Paterson.

Paterson wouldn’t comment on the Titan’s chances of rolling into local Nissan dealerships via an officially-sanctioned RHD conversion program similar to Ford’s, but suggested the F-150 arrangement is a rarity.

“It’s an interesting business case as to how you get a product like that into a market like this. That would probably be the only one that has right-hand drive globally.”

Nevertheless, the Nissan Titan hasn’t be ruled out completely and the Japanese brand’s former Australian MD previously said the realignment of the company’s global reporting structures in 2020 could work in its favour, especially if South Africa got on board.

Toyota Australia also continues to study the US-market Tundra for release here, where it would be positioned above the HiLux (Toyota’s and Australia’s top-selling vehicle), but has previously said it’s unlikely to convert the model locally, meaning it needs a successful factory RHD business case.

Paterson wouldn’t directly comment on whether Aussies will ever get official access to Nissan’s biggest pick-up, but given the current global supply chain squeeze and Nissan Australia’s difficulties in getting a homegrown Nissan Patrol Warrior approved by head office, it won’t be any time soon.

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