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Nissan is releasing a new Titan at the end of this year with the famed Cummins Diesel engine and an entire redesign. They're trying to create a new niche to attack the market. I guess I should have known better on city data but there is an excessive amount of misinformation in this thread.
Actually, the Titan will not have the "famed" Cummins diesel - which is the 6.7L ISB (inline 6) as most know it. They are getting a Cummins 5.0L V8 diesel and from what I've heard from Cummins folks this engine is not holding up well. The "car guys" talked them into doing a V8 instead of an inline 6 and Cummins really has minimal expertise in V8's. This may not end well. The reason they did it is because Cummins is scrambling to get into other segments because their future as a heavy truck engine maker is cloudy at best.
- Freightliner offers Cummins and Detroit Diesel in heavy duty trucks and the Detroit is a considerably better engine so most Freightliners are built with Detroits - by a wide margin. (Freightliner is owned by Daimler, who also owns Detroit.) In addition, Detroit is coming out with their own midrange engines, too, in the next couple years (DD5/DD8) so then Freighliner will have a full lineup of Detroits and no need for Cummins anymore.
- PACCAR (KW/Pete) sells the Cummins ISX-15 (liter) but just introduced a new 13-liter MX engine a couple years ago. Can't be long before they do their own 15/16 liter and push Cummins out.
- Mack/Volvo sells their own 13 and 16 liter engines already, and offers the Cummins ISX-15 as well, but at some point they are expected to get pushed out of their, too.
- Lastly, Navistar tried bailing on Cummins a couple years ago as well, but Navistar tried a different approach to meeting the EPA '10 emissions and it failed miserably. Navistar scrapped and/or reduced production of some of their crappy Maxxforce engines and crawled back to Cummins to get some engines and handle the aftertreatment systems on their trucks. But here again, Navistar dumped Cummins once already so if Navistar can figure out how to build good engines again Cummins will be booted out once again.
The whole truck industry is moving to proprietary components and independent engine makers (like Caterpillar who is already out of the engine business) are gone. Writing is on the wall for Cummins, too...the OEM's don't want to bother working with Cummins (who sucks to work with) nor have to bother paying all the R&D to get a Cummins engine under the hood. Much easier to just design and install their own engines.
However, as more people become informed, and ACTUALLY drive one, they can see how much better the Tundra is.
I mean, go watch the comparison video. The Ford has plastic gas tank which can puncture, wires dangling all over the place and engine the catches on file for no reason. LOL
Regarding plastic tanks - one critical part of the performance criteria of the tank is its ability to meet crash requirements. Generally, plastic tanks are considered safer in crashes because they are seamless and, thus, not prone to failures in the vulnerable seam areas. They are not a source of sparks. Also, plastic tanks deform and have some ability to rebound back to shape. When steel tanks absorb energy and deform, the pressure within the tank increases as the volume decreases. This makes them vulnerable at welded or clamped areas where failure can potentially occur.
Again...that video you are referring to was done by a Toyota dealer. Hardly an unbiased report. They sensationalized a lot of things in that "report."
Actually, the Titan will not have the "famed" Cummins diesel - which is the 6.7L ISB (inline 6) as most know it. They are getting a Cummins 5.0L V8 diesel and from what I've heard from Cummins folks this engine is not holding up well. The "car guys" talked them into doing a V8 instead of an inline 6 and Cummins really has minimal expertise in V8's. This may not end well. The reason they did it is because Cummins is scrambling to get into other segments because their future as a heavy truck engine maker is cloudy at best.
- Freightliner offers Cummins and Detroit Diesel in heavy duty trucks and the Detroit is a considerably better engine so most Freightliners are built with Detroits - by a wide margin. (Freightliner is owned by Daimler, who also owns Detroit.) In addition, Detroit is coming out with their own midrange engines, too, in the next couple years (DD5/DD8) so then Freighliner will have a full lineup of Detroits and no need for Cummins anymore.
- PACCAR (KW/Pete) sells the Cummins ISX-15 (liter) but just introduced a new 13-liter MX engine a couple years ago. Can't be long before they do their own 15/16 liter and push Cummins out.
- Mack/Volvo sells their own 13 and 16 liter engines already, and offers the Cummins ISX-15 as well, but at some point they are expected to get pushed out of their, too.
- Lastly, Navistar tried bailing on Cummins a couple years ago as well, but Navistar tried a different approach to meeting the EPA '10 emissions and it failed miserably. Navistar scrapped and/or reduced production of some of their crappy Maxxforce engines and crawled back to Cummins to get some engines and handle the aftertreatment systems on their trucks. But here again, Navistar dumped Cummins once already so if Navistar can figure out how to build good engines again Cummins will be booted out once again.
The whole truck industry is moving to proprietary components and independent engine makers (like Caterpillar who is already out of the engine business) are gone. Writing is on the wall for Cummins, too...the OEM's don't want to bother working with Cummins (who sucks to work with) nor have to bother paying all the R&D to get a Cummins engine under the hood. Much easier to just design and install their own engines.
And now Catipiller is back in the semi diesel engine business.
"“The writing’s on the wall for independent engine suppliers,” Taylor said, citing current on-highway engine market over-saturation amid tightening demand. “It will be increasingly difficult to participate in the North American market as an independent engine supplier."
The new Cat-branded truck will be designed for construction, logging and other applications, Taylor said. It will be introduced in the “2010 timeframe” and feature “a Caterpillar-branded engine produced by Navistar.”
That CAT truck has been an epic failure. Everyone knows Navistar trucks had major engine issues and having a rebranded Navistar motor in your truck is not good. CAT has less than a 1% market share with their truck which is horrific.
Mercedes is building a family truck, don't know exactly why? I guess when you sold out a G63 6x6 at $700k+ (which is the most bada** truck you can buy) building a truck for America might work.
One thing Europeans understand extraordinarily well is the idea of sophistication vs. crass vulgarity. Far too many American trucks fit into the latter category. It's just our way, and I'm pulled to it as a cultural thing (rah, rah) yet equally pulled to that with a bit more...hmm, shall we say "je ne sais quoi"... yet with a bit of functionality, too.
My Tacoma is intrinsically bland, highly competent, and of substantial build quality. I have had zero major maintenance in 100K miles so far, being cautious to follow the regular service intervals on general principle. That's JPN vehicles for you: I've owned many of their vehicles and many more of their motorcycles for just that reason.
I wouldn't belabor the point in this forum too terribly much more; not a terribly receptive audience vis-à-vis semi-literate, jingoistic replies further up-thread. Suffice to say a Mercedes "pickup" will indeed be interesting to a small...very small...segment of a very big American pickup market. Will watch for that with-interest in '18, '19, or whenever (if-ever) they bring such a thing here.
I think it's hilarious that these behemoths that the American companies sell and heavily market to Americans are considered light.
yeah the again lots of people tow a 5th a family of 4 or 5 through the Rocky Mountains or up in Colorado at high elevations on family camping trips and you pretty much need a Quad cab 3/4-ton to 1-Ton PU truck to be cable of doing that safely.
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