Skip to main content

When Nissan launched an updated Titan full-sized truck, everything about it seemed right. The timing seemed right, with big trucks gaining more and more market share, the size was right, with bigger and bigger trucks gaining favor, and it even has a 400-horsepower V8. But buyers just haven’t flocked to the Titan, and the Titan now has the ignominious distinction of being the worst-selling full-size truck on the market. Startup truck manufacturer Rivian now sells more R1T electric trucks than Nissan does Titan pickups.

How many trucks has Rivian sold?

Rivian R1T truck in grey
Rivian R1T truck |Rivian

If there was a splash to made in the highly competitive truck market, Rivian seems to making it. In just a few years this electric truck manufacturer from Irvine, Calif., has gone from what seemed like a pipe dream to a fully-fledged manufacturer. It builds its EV trucks in Normal, Illinois, and is now actually competing on the bottom rungs of the third-quarter sales report of GoodCarBadCar.

For the first time in the report Rivian is putting up some numbers. Granted, it’s not like Rivian is hitting a triple-double and then dunking on Ford. But, it did on Nissan. Overall, for the third quarter of 2022, Nissan sold 1,276 Titans, while Rivian sold 4,400 trucks. Not bad for a company that, last year at this time, was still struggling to produce a truck.

The Nissan Titan is on its way out

A front-facing shot of a black 2023 Nissan Titan full-size pickup truck model parked in a desert location
2023 Nissan Titan | Nissan Motor Corporation

Nissan certainly has earned die-hard fans of its Titan full-sized truck. The Titan looks good, it has a powerful engine, and a nice interior. The first version of the Titan came out in 2003, and then redesigned the truck for 2016 before a handsome refresh in 2020. But, all has not gone well for the big truck and it killed off the XD trim in 2020. Despite its high points, it never took off when it was compared to the full-size Ram, Chevy, or Ford trucks. Reportedly, the truck will stop sales in 2024 or 2025.

Could Nissan be working on a new electric truck, instead?

Hercules Alpha
The new Hercules Alpha | Hercules

Maybe instead of going after the Big Three, Nissan could now challenge Rivian with its own Nissan electric truck. It’s an intriguing idea. Nissan has been in talks with another EV startup, Hercules, which is planning its own electric truck called the Alpha. Hercules plans the Alfa to come with 1,000 horsepower and four-wheel drive. However, Bloomberg recently reported that Nissan would buy the battery-electric powertrain from Hercules and stuff it in a full-sized truck of its own.

Could an EV Titan be the answer to slow sales for the Titan? It’s hard to say, but Rivian is now showing that it’s putting up some early numbers. But, then again, it’s only the third quarter.

Related

4 Reasons to Still Love the 2022 Nissan Titan, Even if Nissan Is Killing It

Best in Trucks & SUVs
Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.