A couple months ago, we saw a heritage collection spotlight on the Nissan Stories USA blog. It was of a compact pickup truck concept. We speculated this might be a fishing expedition on Nissan’s behalf, and now a story from Automotive News seems to lend credence to the idea that Nissan is exploring something new in the pickup truck realm, perhaps even a midsize electric pickup truck.
We know the Nissan Titan is dying, if not already dead. And we’ve also speculated that an electric truck might replace it. The Automotive News article adds fuel to this fire – even if it’s slim on concrete details or actual verification.
Instead, you have a Nissan dealer advisory board chairman stating that if you’re walking away from the full-size truck segment, you have to explore other truck options. And he says a midsize electric pickup truck is what dealers are asking for.
So, will Nissan actually bring out a compact or midsize electric pickup truck? The short answer: We don’t know. But as we’ve said previously, it would make a lot of sense.
The compact pickup truck segment only has two players right now: Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. Neither are electric. And with a General Motors compact electric concept truck surfacing last week, Nissan’s window to do something novel is narrowing.
Then again, a midsize electric truck could be just the thing. Most people don’t tow as much with midsize trucks, so that would eliminate one of the biggest gripes with full-size electric trucks: towing range. So, Nissan could focus on general range and efficiency.
The Frontier has just been redesigned – and looks really good. Plus, Nissan has proven fairly successful in the electric vehicle segment with its Leaf. And, while there are several players in the full-size electric truck segment, there are none in the midsize truck segment.
It’s easy to play armchair quarterback with someone else’s lineup and budgets. But c’mon, Nissan. Do something. This is a real opportunity to change the midsize and electric truck game.