Nissan! As an automaker, it hasn’t particularly impressed anyone lately. Its one big move in the United States has been to make a relatively affordable, mostly acceptable crossover, the Rogue. Then it built too many of them and its dealers got mad. Now Nissan has a new plan to fix itself that involves cheap EVs, seven new models for the USA and Canada, and… a 1-ton pickup truck? What?
It was revealed in a lawsuit last week that automakers have been selling data on how you drive to third-party companies who then, in turn, sell it to insurers. This sucks, though anyone with a “connected car” I’m sure immediately engaged their shoulders in an unbaffled shrug as, of course, this was what was going to happen. At least one automaker sees that the negative press is not worth it.
Lucid, the electric car company known for its high-quality EVs, is continuing its side business of burning through billions of dollars from the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Lucky! And, finally, you’re less lucky if you’re a Stellantis engineer and got the boot last week as the company fired hundreds of engineers.
Happy Monday! It’s TMD time.
What’s Going On With Nissan?
You can definitely have too much of a good thing, but Nissan has gone out of its way to prove you can have too much of a mid thing. The Nissan Rogue is fine. It’s fine!
But it’s one of the few products that Nissan makes that is truly desirable, and it’s mostly desirable because of price, and Nissan has been building too many and dumping them on dealers and rental fleets, further driving down the value.
Now that Nissan has semi-handled its trial separation with Renault, the company is trying to fix its many many problems in the United States and globally. This plan is called “ARC” and you can download the whole presentation if you want, but the big things are: more and cheaper EVs, better manufacturing, a lot more cars.
Basically, Nissan is going to try to be a real car company again, for roughly the 12th time.
Here’s the key bit for us:
Americas:
- Increase across-region sales by 330,000 units (in fiscal year 2026 and compared to fiscal year 2023) and invest 200 million USD in integrated customer experience in the U.S.
- In the U.S. and Canada: Launch seven all-new models
- In the U.S.: Refresh 78% of passenger vehicle line-up for Nissan brand and launch e-POWER and plug-in hybrid models
The plug-in hybrids thing is great news, as is the seven all-new models. If you’re a beleaguered dealer, the increase in sales and investment in an “integrated customer experience” is also possibly music to your ears.
There’s also this:
What?
What is a “next gen 1-ton pickup produced in MEX” supposed to be? This is confusing, because in the United States a 1-ton pickup would be something along the lines of a Ford F-350 or a Silverado 3500. But a 1-ton truck in the metric world would be the Mitsubishi Triton, which isn’t sold here in the United States, but is sold in Mexico as the L200.
The American Nissan Frontier is related to the global Nissan Navara truck, which isn’t related to the old Mitsubishi L200 currently sold in Mexico, which is a pre-merger platform. The new Navara and Triton/L200 will be co-developed by Nissan and Mitsubishi.
After polling The Autopian Slack, my guess is that’s what this is and, while it’s certainly due for Mexico, it also makes sense as a replacement for the also-ran Nissan Frontier since it’s also Navara-based. Or, maybe, Mitsubishi and Nissan will revert to old habits and develop their own things? It’ll be fun to find out in a couple of years.
All of this is good news. We’ve been hard on Nissan lately, but the brand has historically made some beloved cars and has served the lower end of the market with increasingly not-bad cars. Mitsubishi, also, has quietly been selling a decent number of cheap PHEVs in the United States.
A reinvigorated Nissan with a mix of compelling hybrids and other vehicles is good for both enthusiasts and consumers.
GM To Stop Doing ‘Standard Rotten Thing’ By Cutting Ties With Data Firms: Expert
I worked on a mayoral campaign in Houston many years back for a City Councilman named Peter Brown (RIP). He was an architect and a Smart Car enthusiast.
It was a weird campaign and the candidate, via a staffer, had a connection with Houston area rapper Trae Tha Truth, who was hosting an annual school block party and supply drive called “Trae Day.” Our candidate went, and handed out school supplies, and that was that.
And then there was a shooting. Eight people were shot, though no one was seriously injured. This was an awful moment, though the Councilman had already left. And then Chamillionaire, best known for his song “Ridin’” tweeted this out:
Wow man. Just saw the news saying that Peter Brown who is running for Mayor was there. Not a good look…
— Chamillionaire (@chamillionaire) July 23, 2009
We were probably going to lose the campaign as the other candidates were stronger, but I’ll never forget how hard that “not a good look” from Chamillionaire hit. I think about “not a good look” at least once a week.
We wrote last week about how GM was sharing data with insurance companies via third-party data firms. This sucks and is also “not a good look.”
GM says it’s not doing it anymore, according to the Detroit Free Press:
On Friday, GM spokesman Kevin Kelly declined to comment on the lawsuit, but he sent the Detroit Free Press the following statement: “As of March 20th, OnStar Smart Driver customer data is no longer being shared with LexisNexis or Verisk. Customer trust is a priority for us, and we are actively evaluating our privacy processes and policies.”
Good on GM and I hope everyone else follows, but this isn’t just a GM problem as everyone does it, as a law professor pointed out in the same article:
He believes this case will be settled, but if it proceeds to trial and the plaintiff wins, “there will be a rash of lawsuits” against automakers and others.
[…]
“What GM is doing here is the standard rotten thing that most companies do and that the government should step in and protect us against,” said Gordon.
I love “standard rotten thing.” Maybe that’ll replace “not a good look” in my brain.
Lucid Takes More Saudi Money
Props to Lucid, I guess, for hooking up with the Saudi Public Investment Fund. It was probably inevitable that Saudi Arabia would try to diversify into EVs and by being that company, Lucid gets to smooth over the rough EV transition a bit by having access to billions in investment.
And now, according to Reuters, it’s getting a little more:
Ayar Third Investment Company, a PIF affiliate, will buy $1 billion in convertible preferred stock and will be able to convert the preferred stock into about 280 million shares, according to a regulatory filing with the U.S. securities regulator.
The California-based company, which has been facing weaker-than-expected demand, said it intends to use the proceeds for corporate purposes and capital expenditure among other things.
I hope “among other things” includes a new smoothie maker for the corporate offices. Those folks are working hard. They deserve a treat.
Stellantis Lays Of Hundreds Of Engineers, Allegedly Via Conference Call
It was announced last week that Stellantis was laying off about 400 employees in its engineering and software divisions, as the company tries to maximize profits while also investing in an EV future.
Here’s the Stellantis comment from The Detroit News:
“As the auto industry continues to face unprecedented uncertainties and heightened competitive pressures around the world, Stellantis continues to make the appropriate structural decisions across the enterprise to improve efficiency and optimize our cost structure,” a statement sent Friday by Stellantis spokesperson Jodi Tinson said.
The statement added those laid off would get a “comprehensive separation package and transition assistance.” A number of the affected employees were notified of the cuts Friday morning.
Happy Easter! But wait, there’s more:
It sounds like the company told everyone to do a “mandatory work day” and then attend a remote meeting, which was to announce that everyone on the call was getting laid off.
That’s the way they do it these days.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
I had to get TMD done today but my parents were visiting and so I set my daughter and dad loose to build a Lego space rover. While this was going on, I heard my dad start to tell a story about delivering electric supplies to the Navy base in Corpus Christi, Texas on Fridays and seeing the great Tejano artist Freddy Fender waxing his ’57 Chevy on his big house on Ocean Drive. I loved that story and, for whatever reason, it really connected with my daughter. So here’s some Freddy Fender for you. Right in the feels.
The Big Question
Looking at Nissan-Mitsubishi’s global footprint, what would you like to see here in the United States? What are the 7 new vehicles that make sense?
So this weekend I drove a 2023 Nissan Sentra from Turo, and I have to say, it impressed the hell out of me.
It’s one of the cheapest cars you can buy new, so I was expecting a misery box. I was completely wrong. Was it fast, did it handle like a sports car? No. Who the hell cares? It felt solid and confident, and it was comfortable for highway and city driving.
The seats were supportive, ergonomic, and felt great. Everything in the car was right where I expected it to be and easy to use. It had all the features that would have been exclusive to luxury cars in the past, like adaptive cruise, heated seats and steering wheel, CarPlay, lane assist, a big pushbutton start in the console, etc., but it didn’t annoy me with massive touchscreens or try to get in my way. Most of all, I loved the infotainment screen because it was easy to control the brightness or even turn it off.
It’s roomy, feels upscale, and it starts at $20,000. If Nissan’s having trouble selling these, it’s not the car’s fault.
All of you who have an – often misguided – loyalty to your employer: remember, they are not loyal to you. There are too few exceptions to this.
Trust me, I am NOT loyal to my company in the least.
username checks out.
American pickups still use a cargo rating system left over from the 1960s. If you spec it right, you can order a 150/1500 pickup that has a cargo capacity of about 1700 lbs, close to a US ton. Some 350/3500 trucks have a cargo capacity of close to two tons!
But in the rest of the world, a “one-ton” truck has a cargo capacity of 1000kg, or 2200lbs. And there are plenty of compact trucks sold worldwide that can do that – it’s mostly dependent on gearing and what kind of performance you expect.
I actually think the nominal half ton/three quarter ton system wasn’t even accurate in the 60s. And some one tons have a payload even higher than 4000lb.
But it was never about payload as much as it was about how heavy duty it is. A 3/4 or one ton uses a heavier frame, axles/suspension, and offers heavier duty engines and transmissions. This doesn’t always mean a whole lot more payload, but it has other, very important, implications for durability, suitability for towing, and acceptable use cases.
I can’t argue with anything you said, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking the nominal rating system on US pickup trucks is silly.
It is silly that we use weight measurements for not-really-weight classifications. But we do need some way of classifying this, and I can’t say I can really think of a better naming system.
Really, our current system is pretty divorced from the payload rating. 1500,2500,3500 never referred to a payload rating and isn’t even close. Maybe the bigger issue I take with this system is that it implies that 2500s and 3500s are as different from each other as a half ton, which isn’t true at all.
Thing is, there’s already a weight classification system, as used by various government agencies. Class 1 has a GVW of <6000 lbs all the way through Class 8 that has a GVW of >33,000lbs. No reason pickup manufacturers can’t use that system.
There is a reason why pickup manufacturers can’t use that system. It’s nowhere near specific enough. By the DOT truck class system, an f150(GVWR over 6k) is a Class 2 truck, same as an f350 with two tons of payload and a big block engine. Also by the DOT truck class system, a Ranger is a Class 1 truck, same as a PT Cruiser. That is, an old Ford ranger anyways. The new ones are Class 2 trucks.
We need a system which actually distinguishes a little more finely than that. Because a four cylinder short bed Ford Ranger shouldn’t be in the same class as a crew cab dually diesel 3500, which is built very differently and for a very different use case.
The half-ton / 3/4-ton / one-ton designations used by American automakers is a poorly-developed and poorly-explained rough measure of how much the truck is designed to haul routinely, not rated cargo capacity.
Those numbers are not as different as you seem to think. I’m used to pickups being perfectly happy routinely hauling the maximum rated capacity.
That makes sense. My D22 Frontier is perfectly fine with over half a ton (ten 110# 3-string bales or half a yard of gravel) but I think even 3/4T would take the rear down to the stops.
A ton in our F250 just smooths out the ride.
It’s my understanding that the US Frontier is currently based on the D40 platform, which is the old global Navara platform. The new Navara platform is the D23, which I don’t think is all that similar to the US frontier which is now the D41. I have no idea why they didn’t just give us the D23 other than they were just trying to be cheap or something.
Yes, this sounds correct.
The D23 platform is going away in favour of the new Triton platform and body in white that’s just been launch in Asia and Australia/NZ. So that will be the basis for the next Navara.
The same platform will also be used for a new Pajero Sport in 2025. I wouldn’t bet against a Nissan version as well given that Nissan already have the Navara based Terra in some markets.
my take: It’s a compact pickup which weights only 1 Ton
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.. especially now seeing the Nissan/Mitsu news..
Nissan and Mitsubishi need to partner on a small economy car for the masses. Along the lines of the Toyobaru twins but more ergonomic. 4-cylinder, stick shift, RWD with some actual useable space in it. Keep it as basic as possible but easy to work on and maintain. You’d snag the lower end of the market where people just need a set of wheels but with a stick and RWD you’d also snag the weekend racers and everyday people who just want something cheap to fart around with. Nissan calls it the B210 or Sunny or similar, Mitsubishi goes with the Colt or Galant.
It will never happen, but I love it.
So true, yet this is my take …my experience having and driving 80’s Datsun/ Nissan 200sx + 86′ Isuzu Impulse intercooled turbo + 96′ Eagle Talon tsi + currently 20′ Veloster N …Nissan/ Mitsubishi needs a challenger w/ stick RWD to Toyota ‘s MR2 (please note: without EV.)
We badly need a return of regular cars that are RWD.
Car porn fan fic at its best.
Nissan needs something to compete in the off road/overlander space that is cheaper than the bronco/wrangler/4runner. If they could get a xterra replacement plug in hybrid that can offroad, a bit smaller, on factory 33/35 in tires with a rtt wortly roof rack they would have something.
Bringing the Triton here is a fantastic idea. Looks like the current gen is only made in Thailand right now so it makes sense they’d have to set up production in Mexico. I thought it wouldn’t happen because they’d have to swap in a new engine since it uses exclusively diesels it appears. I don’t know for a fact but I’m assuming they can’t be CARB certified.
Hopefully they standardize on Mitsubishi’s PHEV system since it’s really good.
Finally, either Nissan or Mitsu needs to beg Renault to let them rebadge the Dacia Duster and bring it here. Hopefully that’s on the list.
Stellantis… gone are the days when a company would hire Norm Peterson to gently let employees go with a tearful hug.
I’m glad Tracy got out of there when he did, otherwise he might’ve been one of these layoffs.
As for Nissan, I hope they can get back to where they were before the disastrous merger with Renault- a credible alternative to Toyota or Honda.
Nissan needs to revisit its success with the 240Z, 510, and 620 triumvirate that put it squarely in the mainstream here in the States.
I’m not saying whatever they come up with has to be contemporary versions of those vehicles; I’m saying they need to duplicate the management processes that accurately gauged the market then and delivered big hits in three economy/fun segments.
I was just thinking about the Z cars this weekend. Is anyone buying the current version? I never see them around, despite their being quite a good looking design, better than the 370 for my money.
Haven’t seen one in years.
That’s what got me – I saw a 370, and was struck by how much I’d forgotten about them. And then remembered Nissan is actually producing a contemporary version no less.
Guess it goes to your point, that Nissan isn’t really reaching the market. I see way more Supras out there.
Maybe they should revert to Datsun.
Only if the badging does the reverse of the first time around!
DATSUN
by Nissan
I saw one over the weekend. Probably the 2nd one I’ve seen since launch.
Which is interesting because the dealers still had them marked up last time I checked. Are people buying these as “investments”? The dealers just holding the line hoping for a payday as they sit on a mountain of 2023 Rogues?
I live in an area with plenty of “toy” buyers, but I am more likely to see a Ferrari since the Z launched.
I drove by a local dealer last night who had a couple of them lined up outside, so you could well be right.
I remember dealers refusing to budge when the S197 Mustang launched, but it’s a lot easier to do when the car in question is iconic with the entire country, not a much smaller group of enthusiasts.
GM selling customer data along Stellantis laying off hundreds of people, they just dont seem to care at all while they post record profits. Ford is the only one so far that I support as someone that lives in Michigan, they seem to care more for the people around and invest money into cities. A lot of my neighbors work for Ford and they are all happy with their jobs and things that Ford has to offer to them. They were the first one to negotiate with UAW during the strike and open to conversations.
Ditto in Kentucky. Lots of folks work at one of the two Louisville plants and everyone I’ve meet seems satisfied with their job there. Plus they’re building that huge battery facility in central Kentucky, bringing a lot of jobs to an area that needs them. That site is giant, it’s about a mile long running parallel to I-65.
You mean the same Ford who laid off a shitload of people last year?
You know, you guys are hard on Nissan. The Frontier may be a sales also-ran, but it is a REALLY good mid-sized truck. Not just ‘for the money’, since you aren’t paying the Toyobro tax, but a good truck.
It hauls.
It tows.
It takes a beating.
The first aid kit for a Frontier? Keep two crankshaft position sensors in your glovebox and a 10mm. That’s it.
Gas mileage.
Okay, you got me.
Guess how much gas I can buy when I don’t overspend on a Toyota….
My apologies for sounding cranky, but the continued jokes on Nissan are getting stale for (probably) more than just me.
The Frontier is a fantastic store brand Tacoma. I mean that in a good way.
I have no issue with the Frontier. It has a transmission that should last longer than 60k miles. I’ll give them that they no longer steadfastly maintain that their joke of a cvt contains ‘lifetime fluid’—but they now list the service interval as 60k, which seems to be about as long as many of the JATCO’s last. I’m assuming that means that they won’t try to tell you there IS no way to change the fluid now. Which is what I was told in ‘14 or ‘15 concurrent with the wait time for one of those units being 9 months under warranty.
tl:dr. The hate is real and justified
I may not be parsing your sentences correctly.
That said, Frontiers do not have CVTs.
Where is your hate directed? Nissan in general?
I’d already gone on a bit, so here’s a part I left out : I’m glad your truck is serving you well—and hope it continues to do so for a long, long time. I know they don’t have the cvt: I left out the word ‘actual’ in my 2nd sentence.
The anger is about the hubris & zeitgeist within Nissan in continuing to deny that the cvt they were selling the public was not up to the task it was put to. And especially continuing for far too long to maintain that the fluid did not ever need to be changed. To, in one case, deny that it even could be changed. I quickly & politely ended that call as I don’t like being lied to. I don’t blame the people I talked to—but I would have a very tough time ever giving that corporation any of my money.
Which rather sucks, because the Leaf could fit my future use-case. They have some product I admire the shape of, and I really like their copper/orange color. But, because of the way they handled a polite inquiry about a vehicle out of warranty, Nissan can go bite a (non-existent) dipstick as far as I’m concerned.
Understood. I appreciate the explanation and apologize for not following correctly the first time.
If they launch a PHEV or even a hybrid Frontier they will sell like hotcakes.
I agree.
As I sit here, I am trying to remember if they have upgraded the heat management on their battery tech. If not, it would be a shame to have a great hybrid pickup with a battery that degrades too quickly
And it’s not like the Toyota trucks are great for mileage either.
You know what, we should get a new Frontier to review. We’ll put it on the list, it’s been a while.
Don’t let them send you a Pro-4X. Get the everyman’s SV 4×4; that will be a more relevant test for the average people.
Also, thanks for the consideration.
I had a few chances to drive a 2012 Frontier when it was relatively new. I topped it out at 112 mph. 0-60 mph was about 7 seconds. Got an honest 24 mpg driven on back roads at the 70 mph speed limit(other than the top speed run and hard acceleration).
The 24mpg is the impressive part, considering midsize pickups usually get a very disappointing 15mpg.
Was it the 6-speed or the auto?
5-speed automatic.
Virtually all light pickups top out between 109 & 112mpg. My 3.5 ecoboost stops at 112mph. They are limited by the tires speed rating.
I was shopping full size trucks and couldn’t stomach the price tags and abundance of tech, I was about to test drive a Frontier to get back to basics (I ended up going with something else). They remind me of my old Toyota T100 in their V6 simplicity. I’d like to read an Autopian review.
I called Hyundai and canceled the BlueLink nonsense within minutes of all that information going viral. They then sent me several passive aggressive emails. The rep I spoke to to cancel it hinted that they were dealing with an unusual volume of people asking to do the same thing, which is great.
This bullshit is going to keep happening until we collectively do something about it. Welcome to end stage capitalism, where everything has a price. Also, take steps to protect your data if you don’t already. Turn off location services on your phone. Use a VPN. Decline cookies. Etc. Every single piece of your information can and will be sold to the highest bidder.
The biggest thing is for people to be aware of how (that is, with what) they’re purchasing their goods and services.
It’s no longer simply dollars, it’s now information as well, as a way for firms to offer nominal prices lower than otherwise possible. It’s just the market working as it should.
But armed with that knowledge, we can make the best individual choices, as well as prompt good collective results like GM ending things like this, once it came to public light.
I filled out some kind of request to get my data even though I’m not aware of an app or connected service in my Honda. It has built in NAV, so I’m assuming there’s some kind of connection. My insurance rates haven’t been suspiciously outrageous, so they’re either blind to my driving habits or I’m doing a good job.
It’s infuriating. Am I supposed to be happy that GM stopped selling my data to a particular 3rd party? I shouldn’t have to really on the kindness of multibillion dollar corporations (or my increasingly inadequate knowhow) to have some modicum of control over my own data. And yet here were are!
Well, I guess this means Stellantis’ new product pipeline must be quite full and at an advanced stage of production-readiness
A full pipeline sounds like constipation to me.
Only if you have a problem with your, ahem, distribution.
Durangolax, the gentle cylinder softener.
Dunno, I’ve got IBS, so that’s not really a problem I’m familiar with
Their new product pipeline was full 20 years ago 😛
The next Charger/300 will actually be on a NEW platform. That means their new product pipeline is full for at least 20 years 😀
Yep. A classic case of engineers=redundancy.
If Nissan/Mitsubishi are smart, they will beat everyone else to the punch by offering a sub-$20k BEV with at least 200 miles highway range that comfortably seats 5 adults.
I’m doubtful that they will. But there’s an $11,400 BYD Seagull out there that could compete with the base model Nissan Leaf as things are right now.
Is the market for small vans really zero? I love my NV200 for hauling bicycles. It came from Mexico. Bring it back?
It must’ve been low enough if everybody quit…I don’t get it either.
Well, the US small vans market seems to have been 0 1900-~2012, hot ~2012-~2018, and fully dead again. I can’t say I’m surprised that the market reverted back to the way it was for a century.
The original “mini” van was about the same size as the ones that just disappeared. 1984-90. Safari van was bigger, but not giant.
I think GVR ratings have something to do with this as far as cargo vans go. I can’t find the reference now. But apparently for commercial users, it made more sense to get the lightest Transit.
I’d also put the Honda Element in this bucket. Van-like flexibility compared to SUVs.
An NV200 or Transit Connect or Ram Promaster City are not about the same size as a first gen Chrysler van, they’re definitely smaller. Chrysler minivans are a rare example of a car staying pretty much exactly the same size across five generations. Newer Odysseys and Siennas are bigger, but the last generation Grand Caravan is pretty much the same size as the first generation, which is bigger than the compact vans.
I would buy a new Mazda5 in a heartbeat!
LOL like Stellantis/Chrysler ever valued engineers (sorry, I had to)
In Detroit, engineering seems to be a dirty word 🙁
Nissan and Mitsubishi need to sell Renaults and Dacias over here
Mitsubishi Twizy
Mitsubishi Kwid
Mitsubishi Sandero
Mitsubishi Logan
Mitsubishi Lancer (rebadged Megane) – the RS can be the new Evo
Mitsubishi Kangoo (could be sold as Nissan)
Mitsubishi Mighty Max (L200)
and of course, bring the Montero Sport over here (yes, they still make it for other markets)
Nissan Twingo
Nissan Townster
Nissan Quest (Renault Trafic)
Nissan NV vans (Renault Master)
Nissan Frontier (Navara)
Nissan Titan (the new 1-ton thing they have planned)
Nissan Leaf
Nissan Rogue
Nissan Patrol
Nissan Xterra (still made for other markets, Navara-based)
also, according to a comment left on another site about the layoffs, someone that joined Honda in 1986 claims that American Honda has never laid off an employee, though they have offered generous voluntary buyouts. A bunch of people replied extolling the virtues of Honda and Toyota 🙂
In related news, on a recent Honda job ad I saw on Indeed, Honda pays their salaried employees straight time for hours over 40. While it’s not 1.5x overtime, it’s not unpaid, either. Honda doesn’t make salaried employees work unpaid overtime.
The way you treat your employees often coincides with the way you treat your customers.
Honda and Toyota also have much better relationships with their suppliers than Chrysler, which is among the worst.
If the Altima is gone, it will be the first car to be memed out of existence.
If any company has zero business cutting back on its engineering department it’s Stellantis. Also, I just saw my first New Z yesterday. It was a bit of a shock because I’d honestly kinda forgotten they even existed.
I saw/heard one Sat. Already had a fart can exhaust. And was not that impressed with how the car looked either. YMMV
I imagine they’re counting the redesigned Kicks, then also redesigns of Murano, Armada, and Leaf, and then Sentra is almost due for replacement – there’s 5 right there. Altima and Versa are supposed to end production, but they’ve hinted at the Maxima name on something electrified IIRC, so there’s a 6th. And if they count an e-Power or PHEV version of an existing vehicle as a separate, like a PHEV Rogue, that could be a 7th.
They’re saying by fiscal year 2026 I think so the next Rogue would probably be after that point, and the next Frontier was previously pushed out too.
That’s also assuming midcycle facelifts don’t count, which they did in the Nissan NEXT plan about 3-4 years ago which was 10 new models in 20 months, such as the Kicks and Armada facelifts.
Does Nissan still make the Titan? That would be their full size truck, right? Not that weird Mitsubishi, right?
They gave up on the Titan in the past year or so
I’d feel a lot better about GM’s statement if they had said they wouldn’t sell the data to anybody. Instead they left the door wide open to selling to someone else, who will then sell it to Lexis or an insurance company.
GM likes to cut the middle man out, I am sure they will just sell it direct to the insurance companies…
In June 2023, GM said software and services could generate as much as $25 billion in revenue by 2030. At the time, I assumed that $25 billion would be from consumer subscriptions. How naïve of me. GM planned to make money from consumer and insurer subscriptions.
It is such a specific denial as to render it meaningless.
“I promise not to commit murder any more…on days where I see a blue jay out my corner window at 3:15.”
*subject to terms and conditions*
I bet the U.S. federal government will be one of the buyers. With our tax dollars used to make the purchase.
I’d go with hybrid all the things, ditch that wacky variable compression turbo engine for a regular turbo engine and some regular transmissions instead of their awful CVT. A cheap $30k EV that’s not the LEAF would be great. But with liquid cooling since air cooling is finicky at best.
Now will these actually be 7 New Vehicles or 7 “New” Vehicles in the Nissan sense of G.W. Bush era platforms and altering the bodies? But my guess is bringing back the Stanza, the Bluebird, a Z-convertible, Quest, Titan AD, Maxima, and turning over a new leaf