Nissan May Tap Ev Startup Hercules For Titan Pickup Powertrain

Nissan may tap EV startup Hercules for Titan pickup powertrain

As the rush to battery-powered pickups grabs more headlines, Nissan is said to be interested in getting its slow-selling Titan full-size pickup in on the action. According to a report by Bloomberg, the company is exploring a partnership with EV startup Hercules that would have the nascent Detroit-based electric-pickup manufacturer supply electric powertrains for Nissan. Nissan, in return would provide unnamed truck components for Hercules' own Alpha pickup.

It has previously been reported that Nissan would trim the Titan model range, dropping unpopular variants such as the single-cab version and the diesel, as part of a company-wide initiative to cut costs. But full-size pickups generally are huge profit centers for their makers, and Nissan surely wants to keep the Titan viable. An electric Titan would join the thundering herd of upcoming battery-powered pickups such as the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford's Electric F-150, GM's Hummer EV, the Rivian R1T, the Lordstown Endurance, and Bollinger B2 among others.

2020 Nissan Titan Pro-4x Review | Impressions, Photos, Specs, Features, Price

2020 Nissan Titan Pro-4X Review | Impressions, photos, specs, features, price

The 2020 Nissan Titan Pro-4X takes the newly refreshed Titan full-sized pickup, adds some kit to give it some off-road grit, as well as a cosmetic treatment to give it a sporty look inside and out. It's not for everybody. Sales lag far behind the Detroit manufacturers, to put it mildly, and even well behind the Toyota Tundra. It lacks the flash of chrome we see on a lot of pickups, and Nissan took an interesting tack with design cues that surely not everyone will love. Finally, there's only one powertrain option: a big, naturally aspirated V8. Its extra equipment is compelling, though; the Bilstein shocks, electronic locking rear differential, big General Grabber tires, skid plates and tow hooks mean you can easily picture yourself far off the beaten path with ease.

The Titan's 5.6-liter V8 provides 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. That's more power than most other V8s in the class, short of GM's burly 6.2-liter EcoTec3. But, it's the Titan's only engine offering. Want something more economical like Ford's turbo V6 engines or Ram's mild hybrids? No dice. That said, it's a sweetheart of a V8, providing wheel-spinning torque at stoplights, continued pull at the end of highway on-ramps, and a breathy growl of a soundtrack that pairs well with the motive experience. Its nine-speed automatic gearbox is an exceptional match, optimizing gears for a feel of linearity across the board, feeling quicker than the seven-speed auto in the Nissan Armada, and hesitating and hunting less than the 10-speed boxes of the competition.

Autoblog Podcast #621: Nissan Titan, Hyundai Kona, Mitsubishi Outlander Phev

Autoblog Podcast #621: Nissan Titan, Hyundai Kona, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. They talk about cars they've driven recently, including the 2020 Nissan Titan Pro-4X, Hyundai Kona and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Then they talk news, starting with Volvo's new pick-up and drop-off service. Then they talk about Q1 U.S. sales figures. Lastly, they discuss the possibility of new styles of motorcycle from Harley-Davidson, including a flat-track bike and a cafe racer.

2020 Nissan Titan And Titan Xd Get More Expensive As They Get Better

2020 Nissan Titan and Titan XD get more expensive as they get better

The 2020 Nissan Titan and Titan XD have gone through some changes for the new model year. You can read all about our impressions of the refreshed Titan here, and all the new details on the Titan XD here — we're about to drive the XD, so look out for first drive impressions on that one soon, too. However, the news today is all about pricing of the improved Titans, which we haven't known about until now. A base 2020 Titan S King Cab will now cost $37,785, a $5,500 increase compared to the cheapest 2019 Titan that money can buy. A lot of this can be explained by Nissan's decision to drop the Single Cab altogether; the King Cab is now the base truck. Comparing apples to apples, the Titan's price rises $2,230 for the S King Cab. To get four-wheel drive, add $3,200. A PRO-4X King Cab will run you all the way up to $49,185.  If you go for the full-zoot Platinum Reserve Crew Cab with four-wheel drive, it'll top $60,000 – even Nissan wants a piece of the luxury truck pie. The more capable Titan XD is returning with similar improvements. The diesel is gone, but the gasoline V8 has a bit more power than last year like the non-XD does. It starts at $46,175, a huge increase of $11,590 – due in part to the elimination of the Single Cab model, and also making 4WD standard on the XD (2WD was available last year). What Nissan has done is limit folks' choices into a few much more expensive configuration than before. The PRO-4X costs $55,575, and the most expensive Platinum Reserve trim costs $63,285. That's a lot of money for a truck, but it's no more than what Ford, Ram and GM charge for their luxury pickups. Nissan says the new Titans will go on sale at the start of this year sometime, so look for them in dealer lots soon.