Nissan Partnership Gives Titan Pickups a Lift

CHICAGO – In the popular and profitable world of pickup truck accessorizing, Nissan’s U.S. dealers were giving the automaker some heads-up news.

Dealers were saying that because Nissan North America didn’t offer suspension lift kits in its accessory portfolio, many Titan pickup customers were buying their own kits elsewhere and returning to the dealership to have them installed.

Worse, some customers went to independent auto shops for the installations.

Were dealers beefing about that?

“They were providing feedback,” Tiago Castro, Nissan North America’s director-trucks and commercial vehicles, tells WardsAuto at the Chicago Auto Show. “Dealers were telling us, ‘You’re missing an opportunity.’”

Not for long. Nissan hopes to put an end to that by partnering with lift-kit maker Icon to begin this spring offering the dealer-installed accessory. It lifts the vehicle 3 ins. (7.6 cm).

“Every inch counts,” but three inches is “the sweet spot,” both for appearance sake and practicality, Castro says.

The kit consists of bolt-on parts that require no cutting or drilling and take a third of the time to install, he says.   

Titan is the most accessorized vehicle in Nissan’s lineup. At the auto show, the automaker displays one with all the fixings, including a push bar on the front, running boards on the sides and giant audio speakers in the bed.

“Well-accessorized Titans sell faster,” Castro says. “Our research says customers want more.”

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