This press release is issued Jan. 7, 2003 (local time) by Nissan North America.
January 08, 2003
2004 Nissan Titan King Cab
The all-new 2004 Nissan Titan King Cab brings an exceptional combination of powerful performance, bold styling and a new level of innovation -to the full-size pickup market. Among Titan's unique design features are the King Cab's Wide-Open rear doors that open nearly 180 degrees for almost unlimited interior access, an industry-first factory-applied spray-in bedliner, a lockable climate-resistant bedside storage compartment and Nissan's exclusive Utili-track bed channel tie-down system that provides ultimate cargo hauling flexibility.
The Titan is built on an all-new rugged pickup platform, featuring a newly designed Nissan Endurance 5.6-liter DOHC V8 with over 300 horsepower and more than 375 lb-ft of torque, standard 5-speed automatic transmission and a towing capacity of up to 9,400 pounds. The Nissan Titan will be available in both King Cab and Crew Cab models, with a choice of 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive.
The new Titan, which was conceived, developed, styled and engineered primarily in North America, will be assembled at Nissan's new $1.43 billion manufacturing facility in Canton, Mississippi. The Titan is scheduled to go on sale at more than 1,100 Nissan dealers nationwide in late 2003. Highlights of the 2004 Nissan Titan King Cab full-size pickup include:
Body
- Available in King Cab and Crew Cab (to be shown in April 2003) configurations
- Innovative Wide-Open rear doors that swing open nearly 180 degrees (King Cab models)
- 6.5-foot bed with available high-utility bed features:
- Factory-applied spray-in bedliner
- Utili-track bed channel system with adjustable aluminum-alloy tie-down cleats and available accessory racks, trays, dividers and modular storage systems
- Unique lockable, climate-resistant bedside storage compartment located immediately behind the driver's side rear wheelwell, with two-position adjustable tray and removable rubber mat - Cargo area light with first-in-segment tailgate illumination and bed-mounted 12-volt utility powerpoint
- Enhanced bed reinforcement design (bed corners and upper portion of header panel, 22 additional structural reinforcements with Utili-track bed channel system)
- Chrome-plated steel front bumper with available body-color side fascias, integrated chrome-plated rear bumper finisher for enhanced scratch protection
Engine and Driveline
- Standard Nissan Endurance 5.6-liter DOHC V8 producing over 300 horsepower and more than 375 lb-ft of torque
- Aluminum block with cast iron cylinder liners, forged steel crankshaft, microfinished crankshaft and camshaft, molybdenum-coated pistons, 6-bolt main bearing caps, Super Silent single-stage timing chain
- Standard 5-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with manual shift and tow/haul modes for enhanced fuel economy and towing capacity
- Available Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) with Brake Activated Limited Slip Traction Control (includes deactivation switch)
- Standard Dana 44 front and rear axles
- Tire Pressure Monitor System
4-Wheel Drive Features
- Available shift-on-the-fly 4-wheel drive system with 2WD/4H/4LO modes, electronic control part-time transfer case; best-in-class 4LO crawl gear ratio
- Class-exclusive electronically controlled locking rear differential (switch operated)
- 7.5x17 brushed aluminum-alloy wheels and 285/70R17 tires (off-road package)
- Skid plates for lower radiator, transfer case and fuel tank
- Available Rancho gas shocks
Suspension, Steerig and Braking
- All-steel double wishbone front suspension
- Rigid leaf (dual rate) rear suspension with shackles mounted along frame sides for maximum ground clearance
- Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering
- Standard 7.5x17 painted steel wheels and 245/75R17 tires
- 8.0x18 aluminum-alloy wheels and 265/70R18 tires (SE and LE)
- 4-wheel disc brakes with Bosch Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
Interior Features
- Power-adjustable front seats with available driver's seat memory system, available heated front seats
- Full-size door handles, knobs and steering wheel specifically designed for operation with work gloves
- Flip-up rear seat cushions for added cargo space and flexibility, grocery hooks on bottom of seat cushions (King Cab)
- Center console (except on front bench seat models) with 12-volt adapter
- Ample rear storage, including door storage bins and rear door bottle holders in armrests
- Oversize assist grips and coat hanger system
- Power front windows with one-touch up and down function
- Sporty instrument panel with six gauges
Safety and Security
- Zone Body construction with front and rear crushable zones and occupant zone
- Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (includes dual-stage front supplemental air bags with seat belt sensors and a front occupant classification sensor), 3-point front seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters
- Supplemental front side-impact air bags with available supplemental side-impact curtain air bags (the first time available in a full-size extended cab pickup)
- 3-point seat belts for all rear seat occupants, including center position
- LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren) child seat safety system
Models and Manufacturing
- Available in 4x4 and 4x2 King Cab and Crew Cab body configurations
- Assembled by Nissan North America Manufacturing Canton Mississippi Plant
Titan
Triant Captures Infiniti's Performance Luxury Spirit in an Innovative, Compact Sports Coupe/Crossover SUV
Infiniti's latest advanced concept vehicle, the Triant, made its world debut at Detroit's 2003 North American International Auto Show on a stage shared with a former Infiniti concept-turned-production-vehicle, the 2003 Infiniti FX45 premium crossover SUV. Like the all-new FX45, the Triant is designed to provide an innovative combination of sportiness, luxury features and all-wheel drive performance in a highly personal, dramatically styled package.
"Though the Triant is a futuristic design exploration, it would fit right in with today's exciting lineup of Infiniti performance luxury vehicles," said Mark McNabb, vice president and general manager, Infiniti Division. "Infiniti's product resurgence has continued in the past few years at an incredible pace. The Triant lets us stretch the envelope a little with some longer range thinking and design features such as its gullwing doors, GPS-linked 'turning' headlights and flexible rear seating/cargo area."
An Emotional, Modern Interpretation of Classic Design
The Triant's exterior was designed as a modern interpretation of classic sporting vehicles - vehicles that expressed driving pleasure through a deeply rooted sense of beauty and elegance. Triant creates a similar feeling in a SUV through a fusion of authentic sports coupe styling and the latest in automotive technology with an emotional, Japanese-influenced design flavor.
The theme of Triant's bodywork is "muscular proportion," with its set-back 2+2 cabin combined with a long, elegant hood, large "double arches" signature Infiniti grille, broad shoulders, steeply raked roofline and oversize wheelwells stuffed with large wheels and tires.
The muscular "coke bottle" front fender treatment and sophisticated surface transition from the unique headlights, flowing down the inverse curve of the bodysides to the stretched rear fenders, creating an emotional sense of rhythm and power. The aggressive character of the front is picked up in the rear, with its wide shoulder surface and short overhangs projecting a look of spaciousness and SUV ability. Triant also offers some decidedly contemporary elements, including contoured three-lens headlights, clear lens taillights, sculpted side mirrors, integrated bumpers and recessed door opening switches.
The Triant's doors are a wide gullwing design, stretching over five-and-a-half feet in length and opening to nearly seven feet in height. The doors, which are electrically operated and assisted by six gas cylinders each, feature lightweight aluminum construction and a special door opening sensing system which helps avoid hitting people or objects when the doors open or close. Like the gullwing side doors, the large rear hatch swings widely open, offering exceptional access to the flexible cargo area.
"The designers' intent was to remind people of sports cars they used to own or aspire to own, yet at the same time bring to the Triant all the positive features of today's best designs - a high eye position for the driver, good ground clearance and ease of entry and exit," said McNabb.
Other major exterior features include an advanced headlight system that "guides" the headlight beams around turns with the aid of digital mapping data and GPS technology. The high beams swing up to 15 degrees, while the low beams swing up to 30 degrees in corners - providing greatly enhanced nighttime visibility, especially on mountain or switchback roads.
The Triant's sporty appearance is also marked by its 8.5x19-inch chromed aluminum-alloy wheels and aggressive 255/55R19 low-profile tires. The exterior paint treatment is a special Liquid Mercury color with exceptionally deep liquidity.
A Luxurious, "Infiniti Feeling" Interior
The inner reaches of the Triant concept's 2+2 cabin are equally intriguing, combining flexibility for active lifestyles with an Infiniti attention to enhancing the driving experience. It was designed with the understanding that all the unspoken "elements" that combine to make an interior - such as the form, details, materials, textures, lights and atmosphere - should reflect the personality of both the vehicle and the brand. For Triant, the interpretation of the "Infiniti feeling" is expressed in its comfort, quality, modernity and authentic Japanese undertones.
The organic and emotional surfaces and lines of Triant's interior visually illustrate the designers' intent of creating an environment that is comfortable to both the touch and to the eye. A careful blending of natural and high-tech materials is utilized to create harmony by "fusing contrast."
The interior's natural free-flowing form seems to drape over the instrument panel, door panels and rear seat, merging all three independent elements into one environment. At the same time, the driver-focused elements, such as the front seats, steering wheel and instruments have been designed with a sense of precision and geometric direction. A central backbone, in the form of the sweeping center console, visually creates a draping wave that connects the front and rear areas. The result is a natural, organic luxury reinforced by advanced technology features - creating a surprising, intriguing and inviting interior.
Beyond the atmospheric design elements, Triant also features a number of advanced features and equipment. The sports car-like driving position is complemented by a floating, column-mounted instrument cluster, steering wheel-mounted shift paddles with center console shift-by-wire automatic transmission shift lever and body-contoured front seats with carbon fiber shell and metal finish frame. The driver and passenger seats are mounted on active shock absorbers (similar to the design of active engine mounts). The seats have three preset driving positions - sports, cruising and off-road - with each setting utilizing the shock absorber mounts to give a different driving height and different damping levels to best suit the particular driving style and terrain.
A carbon-fiber electrically sliding center console cover hides the main control switches when not in use, while the retractable 7.0-inch LCD information center display with integrated navigation system also tucks neatly out of the way, providing a polished, highly finished look when the Triant is at rest.
There is also a large overhead center console, a pass-through in the center tunnel and a signature Infiniti analog clock.
The interior also features a surround sound speaker system with central subwoofer and headliner-mounted tweeters, concealed seat slide-rail system (motorized forward/rear and reclining movements), door-mounted atmospheric lighting panels and welcome lighting mounted in the aluminum kickplates.
The rear seat/rear cargo area is designed for total, spontaneous flexibility, with the deeply contoured rear seat designed to slide forward electronically nearly 20 inches when not in passenger use, essentially doubling the available cargo area. The rear seat structure also includes three secure storage compartments. Rear deck-mounted lockable "track balls" are included for easy luggage positioning and to help prevent luggage from moving without the use of tie-downs or netting.
"The Triant is functionally elegant - a compact SUV with big car luxury and amenities," said McNabb.
A High Level of On-road Performance, Handling and Ride Comfort
Though a fully capable SUV - with its height-adjustable suspension and SUV-like approach and departure angles - the Triant concept delivers on-road performance to match its sport coupe-like appearance.
At the heart of the Triant is a compact yet powerful 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 engine, mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. An advanced ATTESA ET-S all-wheel drive system provides all-climate driving ability, while the 4-wheel independent suspension combines a comfortable ride with secure road holding. The suspension also can be raised 0.8 inches for off-pavement use and lowered 1.2 inches for highway driving.
"The Triant doesn't look like your typical compact SUV, though it certainly can perform like one," said McNabb. "Essentially, it's a vehicle one that enhances and encourages an active life and active spirit."
Triant
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