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Nissan's crowdsourced Project Titan is ready to tackle Alaska [w/videos]

Alaska still offers Americans the chance to really experience the wilderness, and Nissan is challenging its Titan pickup to its offroad extremes with a little help from its fans. After crowdsourcing a heap of mods, the company is handing it over to two Wounded Warrior Project Alumni to do their worst in the backcountry to see what the truck can do.
Nissan last experimented with the crowdsourcing idea on its Project 370Z in 2012 but might have taken things even further this time. For Project Titan, the automaker let fans vote on 10 different areas to customize on a 2014 Titan Crew Cab PRO-4X. To fit the rugged look, the company covered it up with a custom digital-camouflage wrap with a Wounded Warrior Project emblem and even outfitted its all-terrain camping trailer in a similar scheme. An LED lighting rig was also added to the new bull bar and roof rack to brighten the night. For a just little more grunt, the 5.6-liter V8 was outfitted with a Nismo cold-air intake and Borla cat-back exhaust, and to keep from getting stuck, the pickup got an upgraded suspension with more travel and 18-inch wheels with 35-inch Nitto offroad tires. The interior was also slightly revised with big GPS system and custom embroidered seats.
Now, it's time to see if the truck's mods can handle what the Alaskan wilderness can throw at it. The two Wounded Warrior Project Alumni are just starting their expedition and are expecting snow on the way. Scroll down to watch three build videos for the Titan and read Nissan's official announcement. You can also follow their journey on Nissan Trucks' Facebook page.

Asian automakers still reluctant to use more aluminum

There's a logical progression of technology in the auto industry. We've seen it with things like carbon-ceramic brakes, which use to be the sole domain of six-figure sports cars, where they often cost as much as an entry level Toyota Corolla. Now, you can get them on a BMW M3 (they're still pricey, at $8,150). Who knows, maybe in the next four a five years, they'll be available on something like a muscle car or hot hatchback. Aluminum has had a similar progression, although it's further along, moving from the realm of Audi and Jaguar luxury sedans to Ford's most important product, the F-150. With the stuff set to arrive in such a big way on the market, we should logically expect an all-aluminum Toyota Camry or Honda Accord soon, right? Um, wrong. Reuters has a great report on what's keeping Asian manufacturers away from aluminum, and it demonstrates yet another stark philosophical difference between automakers in the east and those in the west. Of course, there's a pricing argument at play. But it's more than just the cost of aluminum sheet (shown above) versus steel. Manufacturing an aluminum car requires extensive retooling of existing factories, not to mention new relationships with suppliers and other logistical and financial nightmares. Factor that in with what Reuters calls Asian automaker's preference towards "evolutionary upgrades," and the case for an all-aluminum Accord is a difficult one. Instead, manufacturers in the east are focusing on developing even stronger steel as a means of trimming fat, although analysts question how long that practice can continue. Jeff Wang, the automotive sales director for aluminum supplier Novelis, predicts that we'll see a bump in aluminum usage from Japanese and Korean brands in the next two to three years, and that it will be driven by an influx of aluminum-based vehicles from western automakers into China. Only time will tell if he's proven right. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Sean Gallup / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Honda Hyundai Mazda Nissan Toyota Technology aluminum

Nissan and BMW want the UK to stay in the EU

Nissan and BMW are saying that the Brexit shouldn't become reality. It's a mixture of hope and threat because their planned investments in the UK risk to be damaged by the referendum's result. While those brands are still saying that every decision from the UK's people will be respected, you can sense a fear that every plan is going to be messed up. The problem is simple according to Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn: "For us, a position of stability is more positive than a collection of unknowns. It makes the most sense for jobs, trade and costs." For sure Nissan is not going to shut its plant in northeast England if the country exits the Union, but this could change plans for the future, as the so-called Brexit could cause an increase on costs and above all on competition. Nissan employs 8,000 people in the UK across its manufacturing, engineering, and design facilities, and a further 32,000 indirectly through dealerships and its supply chain. All these people produce almost half a million cars and 80 percent of those are exported, so just imagine how taxes could affect prices and sales. If the EU's borders get smaller, Nissan will face some problems with customs duties the foreign products struggle with, as other Japanese automakers have so far, while importing their cars into the Union. Nissan is not the only maker interested in the outcome of the referendum to be held June 23; BMW is of the same mood, hoping Brexit won't become reality. The Germans already warn Mini and Rolls-Royce employees that the exit of UK from the Union could cause problems with increasing costs and higher prices due to tariff barriers. BMW CEO Harald Krueger at the Geneva auto show said "a UK vote to exit the European Union would cloud the future of the automaker's UK brands, which include Mini, along with Rolls-Royce". What's happening in this case is not only an English issue. In fact, although every decision taken by the UK's people must be respected, the automakers are right when saying they hope it is not going to happen, as you hope no one changes the cards during the game. Image Credit: Nissan Government/Legal BMW Nissan brexit open road