Globally Nissan is contracting. It has to for survival. Its desperate four-year plan calls for reducing models from 69 to 55. It is also handing over certain markets to the brands it shares under the Renault/Nissan/Mitsubishi umbrella. But, we are surprised to learn it has killed the Titan pickup in Canada after 2021. Surprised because Canadians are crazy about trucks. They’re the number-one-selling type of vehicle there. Will the US be next to see the Titan gone?

“The Nissan Titan pickup truck will not be sold in Canada beyond the model year 2021”

“The Nissan Titan pickup truck will not be sold in Canada beyond the model year 2021,” says Jennifer McCarthy, Nissan Canada Product Communications Manager. “We will focus our resources on existing core models in our crossover and sedan portfolios. Our resources are also being directed to support the market launch of vehicles like the all-new Rogue and Versa which go on sale later this year, as well as the all-new Ariya electric crossover and all-new Frontier mid-size pickup truck, which arrive in Canadian showrooms next year,” she told The Truth About Cars.

Nissan’s Titan and Titan XD, which is like a three-quarter-ton truck, have struggled in the tough full-size pickup truck market. The current model was refreshed in 2016 and got another tweak this year. But sales have declined, though it might partially be self-inflicted. 

Nissan keeps eliminating options, models, and body styles

Nissan keeps eliminating options, models, and body styles. Last year it killed the diesel option and now it has killed two cab configurations except for the crew-cab body. It is also only available as a 4×4 with a 5.5-foot bed. While its numbers are bad in the US they are beyond that in Canada. Only ½-percent of the full-size pickup market belongs to the Titan. In the US that number is 1.2%

Last year Titan sales dropped almost 50% and this year it’s down more than 50%. Just 2,807 Titans sold in Canada last year, yet the segment represents almost a quarter of all vehicle sales there. In the US only 30,000 Titans sold last year representing a drop of over one-third from 2018. Here Toyota’s Tundra has sold around 115,000 trucks over the last eight years.

Could Nissan be eyeing the US as the next market to drop the Titan?

Could Nissan be eying the US as the next market to drop the Titan? The Canton, Mississippi-built Titan will continue to exist here. That’s according to Kevin Raftery, Nissan North America’s communication specialist in charge of SUVs, trucks, and commercial vehicles. “Titan was refreshed for the 2020 model year and offers the most standard power, safety features, and technology in its class, and it remains an important part of Nissan’s U.S. product lineup. Titan will continue to be sold in the U.S. beyond the model year 2021.”

There is a time where it becomes a point of diminishing returns. With new models that need factories assigned and an assembly plant set up to build a lot more than just 30,000 vehicles it doesn’t look good for the Titan.