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2016 Nissan Titan XD arrives with diesel V8 power

Feels like this one's been coming soon (or is that #CumminsSoon?), forever. Over a decade since the Nissan Titan launched, the Japanese fullsize pickup has finally been given a full redesign, and it looks to be a worthy – and interesting – competitor in the light-duty pickup class. First and foremost, the truck debuting here in Detroit is the Titan XD – it's not a trim level, but a totally different version of the standard Titan, despite looking the same. The best way to explain the difference is that if the Titan competes with a Silverado 1500, the XD competes with something a step higher, but not a full 2500. Think of it as a Silverado 2000 or something – a step between light and heavy duty. Nissan truly thinks there's a white space in this pickup segment. The company isn't ready to release details on the standard Titan just yet, and the XD with the diesel engine will be the first version to come to market. The diesel in question is the long-awaited 5.0-liter V8 from Cummins, producing 310 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. When properly equipped, the Titan XD can tow up to 12,000 pounds, and has a payload capacity of 2,000 pounds. Nissan has confirmed that gasoline V6 and V8 options will be available on both Titan and Titan XD models, but has not released any details at this time. The 5.0-liter Cummins turbodiesel V8 will only be offered on the XD. Nissan is upgrading its Around View Monitor with features to aid with towing, too. Shown here as a Crew Cab, the Titan will be offered in King Cab and Single Cab configurations, as well, with three bed lengths (a 6.5-foot bed is seen here). Nissan has also told us that a lower-grade work truck will be available, as well. As the models roll out, the Titan and Titan XD will be offered in several trims, including a rugged-looking Pro-4X model and a new, top-of-the-line Platinum Reserve. All except the Pro-4X can be had with two- or four-wheel drive. Speaking of looks, we have to say, this is a pretty nice looking truck. Its appearance is fresh and modern, if awfully reminiscent of other trucks in the segment (hard to offer a unique design with that shape, of course). Up front, there are premium elements like available LED headlamps with LED running lamps, and out back, those same modern bulbs are used for the taillamps.

Meet Sparky, Nissan's Leaf-based, Frontier-bedded EV parts hauler [w/video]

For many enthusiasts, the concept of the ute - a car with a pickup bed - is somehow irresistibly appealing. On paper, it promises the marriage of a truck's utility and a car's superior driving dynamics, and for that reason alone, we'd love to see more of them. Yet while other parts of the world get them in good numbers, North America doesn't ever see them - at least not for long. Based on what we've seen of late, though, that's not due to a lack of motivation on the part of engineers.
BMW wowed us several years ago with an M3 ute, and earlier this year, some interns converted a Mini Paceman into the pickup-bodied Paceman Adventure. Loathe to let their rivals in Munich and Oxford have all the fun, Nissan has built its very own car-based pickup. Meet Sparky, the world's first Leaf Frontier.
Like the M3, this all-electric ute is used as a parts hauler for Nissan's engineering teams at its sprawling Stanfield, AZ tech center and proving grounds.

Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

As leaders for the United Auto Workers gather in Detroit for their Special Convention on Collective Bargaining to work out the negotiating stance for this year's new labor agreements with the Detroit 3 automakers, what they most want to do is figure out how to eliminate the two-tier wage scale. However, the lower Tier 2 wage has allowed the domestic automakers to reduce their labor costs, hire more workers, and compete better with their import competition. As it stands, per-hour labor rates including benefits are $58 at General Motors, $57 at Ford, and $48 at Fiat-Chrysler – a reflection of FCA's much greater number of Tier 2 workers. The Center for Automotive Research released a study of labor rates (including benefits) that put numbers to what the imports pay: Mercedes-Benz pays the most, at an average of $65 per hour, Volkswagen pays the least, at $38 per hour, and BMW is just a hair above that at $39 per hour. Among the Detroit competitors, Honda workers earn an average of $49 per hour, at Toyota it's $48 per hour, Nissan is $42 per hour, and Hyundai-Kia pays $41 per hour. The lower import wages are aided by their greater use of temporary workers compared to the domestics. Automotive News says the ten-dollar gap between those foreign camakers and the domestics turns out to about an extra $250 per car in labor, which adds up quickly when you're pumping out many millions of cars. That $250-per-car number is one that, come negotiating time, the Detroit 3 will want to reduce, as the UAW is trying to raise both Tier 1 and Tier 2 wages. Another wrinkle is that the domestic carmakers are considering the wide adoption of a third wage level lower than Tier 2. Some workers who do minor tasks like assembling parts trays kits and battery packs already make less than Tier 2, but the UAW will be quite wary about cementing yet another wage scale at the bottom of the system while it's trying to fight a bigger battle at the top. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., BloombergImage Credit: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions BMW Chevrolet Fiat Ford GM Honda Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Nissan Toyota Volkswagen labor wages collective bargaining labor costs