re: Nissan is in trouble in North America; likely to revive the XTerra SUV

Sweet Jesus Yes!!!!

I loved my Xterra.

quote:

---

Ram needs to add a mid sized pickup.

---

Desperately. Rams are so damn overpriced it’s ridiculous. A Tradesman trim with any add on option is pushing $50K+. Any decently equipped Big Horn is damn near $60K+. Then you get into the Limited trim. It’s at least $75K. 75K for a 1500 is robbery.

quote:

---

Give it an option where the rear roof comes off and it would do very well.

People want that jeep / bronco vibe.

---

I like that idea. That would probably do well.

quote:

---

Nissan as a solid market in the Middle East with the Patrol. Does the Armada not do well in North America?

---

It's a solid vehicle but it will probably be the worst seller in its class even though it's not the worst product in its class.

There are very good competitors: It gets it's arse kicked by General Motors in North America and probably in the Middle East too. Ford is killing them as well and Ford isn't trying very hard. I think even Jeep is doing better with the Wagoneer, and that model is widely considered to be a catastrophic marketing and launch failure for that brand. It's another model that ditched the V8 and pissed everyone off.

Even Toyota is beating them and the new Sequoia is NOT a very good option. The Armada is arguably better than the Sequoia in the US. IMO they made the mistake of ditching the 5.6L V8 from the previous generation. Had they kept it, they'd have been the only Japanese full sized SUV with that option and the only V8 option other than the General Motors products.

Another problem is that people might not be willing to pay $60,000-$70,000 for a vehicle that has a Nissan badge on it - especially if they think their local dealer may not be around in a few years. Nissan is not doing well in the US at all. They've closed a lot of Infiniti stores already.

I don't understand why they can't build a Titan pickup off of a modified Armada chassis. Phoning in the Titan's second generation and cancelling the 3rd gen was a huge mistake on Nissan's part. Nissan's 2nd gen Titan wasn't a bad vehicle; it just got outclassed by all competitors and the styling was a little weird. They decided to go 95% of effort towards building an excellent pickup, then didn't bother marketing it. They invested in a problematic light duty diesel instead of improving their core half ton gasoline products.

It may be worth designing a North American full sized truck and SUV on a shared chassis like they did for the first gen Titan and Armada. Risky but it worked very well the first time around. People seemed to like those things, but Nissan's brand image wasn't as bad in those days.

quote:

---

Do it! Loved my 2007 Xterra. Freaking gas guzzler tho

---

I think the new Xterra and Frontier will be on a shared new platform in 3-4 years. Probably going to have a hybrid powertrain like the Tacoma and 4Runner.

Hopefully they don't ditch the 3.8L V6 from the current generation Frontier. That is a solid product and doesn't get enough attention from buyers. The new Ranger and Colorado are very compelling options, but you could probably get the Frontier for cheaper. The Frontier won't have the reliability issues that Toyota seems to be having with their turbo motors.....since the Nissan doesn't have a turbo motor right now.

I almost bought an XTerra back in 2004. Thought it was a good looking vehicle.

Nissan's woes go far beyond CVTs. In an industry where fortunes turn on single runaway hit products, from the Model T and Beetle to the '86 Taurus, Dodge Minivan, and even the Honda Accord series that transformed Honda from a quirky pipsqueak to a de facto US company, Nissan has not managed a single big hit in decades. The Frontier is just OK, and appeals to a shrinking demographic that wants the simplest possible truck. Introducing a SUV on that platform that sold in volume would be disastrous for their CAFE numbers when their offsetting EVs are so solidly mediocre.

Nissan is cutting 50% of their capacity with this latest move. Japan will not allow a foreign (only Chinese candidates at this point) automaker to buy them out - see jailing of Carlos Ghosn on mostly fabricated charges right after he suggested that Renault should be the controlling partner.

Nissan needs a runaway hit. The Z, Pathfinder, Ariya, and yes, the Frontier, have been no better than mediocre in comparison to their segments. That's not good enough to keep them afloat.

quote:

---

Wagoneer

---

Overpriced, by a lot.

Back in the day I had an Altima, 2000, with the old 4 speed transmission. It was a great reliable, cheap, commuter car. They fricked it all up with the CVT. Wife bought a 2014 Rougue, what a hunk of shite. I also owned a 5 speed 2011 base model Frontier, with no power options, another great vehicle that I put 250k on and just got rid of, never had to replace the clutch, just basic maintenance. Nissan fricked up everything with their vehicles.