It may look like a dying market, but Suzuki is entering the North American midsize pickup truck scene with help from Nissan. The two Japanese companies are teaming up to create a Frontier-based pickup that will be built at Nissan's manufacturing operations in Smyrna, Tennessee.
The vehicle will be marketed exclusively by Suzuki on this side of the world, and preparations are currently are under way to ready the Smyrna facility for production.
Nissan's Frontier lineup currently consists of Crew Cab or King Cab models available in two or four wheel drive configurations. Power is handled by a 152 horsepower 2.5 litre four-cylinder engine or a 261 horsepower four-litre V6.
This particular project between the two automakers dates back to 2006 when they agreed to expand the scope of their previous collaborations. The partnership has seen Nissan selling rebadged Suzuki mini-cars in various markets, as well as Suzuki using Nissan-supplied transmissions in certain models. More lately, Suzuki's been selling a Nissan built minivan called "Serena" in the Japanese market.
Production of the new truck begins in 2008.
2008 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab |
The vehicle will be marketed exclusively by Suzuki on this side of the world, and preparations are currently are under way to ready the Smyrna facility for production.
Nissan's Frontier lineup currently consists of Crew Cab or King Cab models available in two or four wheel drive configurations. Power is handled by a 152 horsepower 2.5 litre four-cylinder engine or a 261 horsepower four-litre V6.
This particular project between the two automakers dates back to 2006 when they agreed to expand the scope of their previous collaborations. The partnership has seen Nissan selling rebadged Suzuki mini-cars in various markets, as well as Suzuki using Nissan-supplied transmissions in certain models. More lately, Suzuki's been selling a Nissan built minivan called "Serena" in the Japanese market.
Production of the new truck begins in 2008.