Why the Nissan Frontier and Titan Are Headed in the Same Sad Direction
The end appears to be nigh for the Nissan Frontier and Titan. Despite recent redesigns to broaden each model’s appeal, sales for both vehicles declined significantly in 2023 from the previous year. There is no single reason for this downward trend, but the writing is on the wall for the Frontier and Titan. It’s likely that neither truck will be in production for much longer in their current forms.
The sales figures for the Nissan Frontier and Titan are particularly bad
The Nissan Group, which owns the Nissan division and Infiniti, released the total sales numbers for the first quarter of 2023 at the beginning of April. In total, the automaker sold 235,818 units from January to March, a 17.3% increase from the same period in 2022 (201,081). The broad numbers make for good reading to those invested in the company, but the individual records for the brand’s two pickup trucks are much more ominous.
Nissan Frontier sales were down 24.5% compared to 2022 (22,405 to 16,926), while Nissan Titan sales decreased 37.1% in the last 12 months (6,415 to 4,038). Still, these aren’t the only two Nissan vehicles that couldn’t hit the same heights as last year. The Leaf (-46.1%) and the Kicks (-42.5%) suffered more significant losses, and the Maxima, Sentra, and Altima all dropped at least 14%.
However, the few cars that did set a new bar for themselves all have one thing in common: they’re all SUVs. The Armada (+342.6%), Pathfinder (+164.8%), Rogue (+69.1%), and Murano (+32.3%) all saw a substantial boost in sales from last year.
The exceptions to the rule are the Nissan Versa (+67.9%) and the GT-R (+186%), although their totals are still much lower than the other vehicles.
Several factors play into their decline
The state of the auto industry plays an impactful role in the collective disinterest of the Nissan Frontier and Titan. SUVs are the big sellers of 2023 so far, and their dominance across the market naturally lowers the ceiling for other types of vehicles. Inflation has also been an issue in recent years, and the Frontier is one of the models that has risen above affordability the most.
The truck may have also been affected by inflation in a different way. The Frontier was redesigned in 2022, which could explain the boost in moved units last year. However, the fallback in 2023 suggests that Nissan’s updates were not big enough to shift the perception of the truck after years of underwhelming performances.
In the case of the Titan, its low sales may be related to widely-believed speculation. Motor1 reported that Nissan was set to discontinue the Titan and exit the full-size truck market after failing to make inroads in the U.S., despite the thoughts of Nissan dealers and service businesses, for whom the truck market is a consistent driver of revenue. The company hasn’t made this move official yet, but the lack of improvements on the model is evidence that the Titan is not a going concern for the brand.
Nissan Advisory Board Chairman Tyler Slade gave voice to a potential new direction for Nissan’s trucks going forward. “The Frontier Hardbody has been a part of Nissan’s brand for decades,” he said. “It’s logical to bring an electric version.”
The 2023 Frontier and Titan may not be popular, but they are well-made trucks
The Nissan Frontier and Titan won’t wow anyone on the road, but both trucks are solid and dependable vehicles.
The base model Frontier S has a 3.6-liter V8 engine with 310 hp and 281 lb-ft of torque. It can tow up to 6,720 lbs and carry a payload of 1,620 lbs. Safety features include forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, and the interior is equipped with a push-button start, an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, a six-speaker audio system, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration. The Frontier comes in four trims, and pricing begins at $29,190.
The 2023 Nissan Titan is almost exactly like the previous model year. It has a single 5.6-liter V8 engine that produces 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque. It can tow up to 9,323 lbs and haul up to 1,697 lbs. The few changes Nissan made to the truck only appear in the higher-level Pro-4X and Platinum Reserve trims, which now include wireless Apple CarPlay as a standard feature. There are four total trims of the Titan, and pricing begins at $41,845.
