Nissan now realizes it will need to think outside the box to establish a foothold in the United States’ full-size pickup market, which currently is dominated by Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
The Japanese manufacturer is utilizing a radical strategy with its new Titan by initially marketing and distributing the truck only in Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Salt Lake City, Automotive News reports. Depending on how the Titan performs in those markets, Nissan will later expand its efforts.
“We’ve concentrated on only those markets at first,” Christian Meunier, Nissan North America’s senior vice president of sales and marketing and operations, said, via Automotive News. “And once we’re satisfied that we’re where we want to be in those markets, we will then move to our second phase.
That second phase reportedly includes six more cities, the identities of which Nissan refuses to reveal ahead of time. If the Titan continues to do well, Nissan will expand to 40 markets, eventually pushing the Titan on a national scale.
But what constitutes doing well?
Nissan’s goal is to capture roughly 5 percent of local shares of full-size pickup sales in each city before moving onto the next stage of is plan, according to Automotive News. Menuier said the automaker has nearly reached that figure in its initial launch markets.
Although its approach is a little unorthodox, Nissan might have the truck it needs to compete with the Big Three. Sure, it’s pricier than other pickups in its segment, but the V-8-powered Titan packs plenty of punch, and comes with a variety of unique features.
Thumbnail photo via Nissan
