[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ust one year after the production version of the all-new Nissan TITAN XD made its world debut at the North American International Auto Show, the TITAN Warrior Concept was unveiled on Tuesday on the very same stage. A design study created to demonstrate how the Cummins 5.0L, V8 Turbo Diesel engine-equipped TITAN XD can be adapted for off-road adventure use – as well as for its heavy-duty work capabilities – the TITAN Warrior Concept features unique exterior and interior design treatments and a modified off-road suspension.
“Truck buyers have a seemingly insatiable appetite for more content and more unique offerings,” said José Muñoz, executive vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and chairman, Nissan North America, Inc., as he revealed the TITAN Warrior Concept. “Even though our all-new 2016 TITAN XD just started arriving at Nissan dealers nationwide last month, we are already exploring new territory where TITAN might go in the future.”
Also making its first North American appearance in the Nissan display is one of the stars of the recent Tokyo Motor Show, the Nissan IDS Concept autonomous driving vehicle. Last week, Renault-Nissan Alliance chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn announced the two companies would launch more than 10 vehicles with autonomous drive technology by 2020. The technology will be installed on mainstream, mass-market cars at affordable prices
The IDS Concept embodies Nissan’s vision of the future of autonomous driving and zero emission electric vehicles. By integrating advanced vehicle control and safety technologies with cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI), Nissan is among the leaders developing practical, real-world applications of autonomous drive technology
Muñoz also reviewed Nissan’s ongoing sales growth in the United States in 2015 and its strong momentum heading into the new calendar year, building on the late 2015 launches of the new TITAN XD, Altima sedan, Sentra compact and the tremendous growth in sales of the recently redesigned Murano and Rogue crossover SUVs. Total 2015 sales were an all-time high of 1,484,918 units, an increase of 7.1 percent over 2014 sales.
“We set sales records month after month, profitably. We introduced fresh products in every critical segment, including full-size pickups. And we beat the industry average in terms of percentage of sales increase,” explained Muñoz. “Our calendar year share of 8.3 percent represents the one of the highest gains in the industry and our brand value continues to rise. Our market presence also continues to expand through our involvement in sports, entertainment and charity support.”
The TITAN Warrior Concept creators had more than a strong foundation on which to build their vision of a bold and expanding future in the full-size pickup market, they had a familiar one. As part of the group that brought the “American TITAN” to life – a group that ranged from Tennessee, Michigan, Mississippi, Indiana, Arizona and California – the design team imagined how their original TITAN design, inspired by warriors in ancient Greek mythology, might evolve to extreme levels of adventure duty.
Inside the TITAN Warrior Concept’s rugged performance-focused exterior is an interior conceived to handle the abuse experienced on an extended off-road excursion in comfort and style. The seats are covered in a carbon-colored high-strength seat fabric trimmed with “Magma” orange accents. Interior surfaces utilize material, such as carbon fiber, polished chrome finishes, leather with accented Magma orange stitching. Other interior details include unique hot-and-cold drink containers integrated into the center console. Robust auxiliary toggle switches are integrated into the center stack for additional off-road accessories. Instrument panel-mounted auxiliary gauges are provided to easily monitor truck performance.
As an extreme adventure version of the new 2016 TITAN XD, the TITAN Warrior Concept utilizes the factory fully boxed ladder frame and Cummins® 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel engine and the standard heavy-duty 6-speed Aisin automatic transmission as its base. Where the TITAN Warrior Concept departs from its production counterpart is in the full custom suspension design. In the front, the standard suspension has been replaced with custom upper and lower control arm with performance ball joints, along with racing-style internal bypass reservoir coil-over shocks with custom reservoir mounts and tie-rod extensions.
In the rear, the modifications include custom internal bypass reservoir shocks with custom reservoir mounts. Adjusted-length prototype axles were installed, along with a custom sway bar, relocated sway bar brackets and rear lift blocks and U-bolts. Hydraulic pressurized bump stops were also added front and rear.
