According to Automotive News, Nissan may produce a little electric pickup truck in the United States. Last year, the automaker gave a sneak peek at the Nissan Surf-Out concept, an electric truck with a futuristic look. Since the full-size Nissan Titan is likely to be phased out soon, a small E.V. trucks could give people new options. In the United States, Nissan only sells the full-size Titan and the midsize Frontier. Because the Titan doesn’t sell even half as well as American pickup truck mainstays like the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado 1500, it’s only a matter of time before Nissan kills its half-ton truck and its heavier-duty sister, the XD. Automotive News says that the Japanese company is considering making a small electric pickup for the U.S. market to compete with the end of the Titan and attract new buyers. The head of Nissan’s Dealer Advisory Board, Tyler Slade, told AN that Nissan dealers want the company to make a midsize electric car. He said it would make sense for Nissan to make an electric pickup truck like the Frontier. Since the midsize truck has consistently sold more than the Titan, the theory makes sense. Nissan has made hints before that it might make a light-duty electric truck. AN also said last year that the company was working on a new model to compete with the Frontier, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Even though it didn’t say outright that the new car would be an E.V., the idea was accepted, and Nissan would be wise to get into a market where there isn’t much competition yet. Even though full-size electric cars like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T are becoming more common, only partially electric small or midsize cars are on the market now. But it will be soon that other car companies jump on the chance. For example, Chevy is reportedly already thinking about making a small electric truck to compete with the sales of the hybrid Ford Maverick. Even though it is too soon to know whether or not Nissan will produce a tiny electric pickup truck, the Surf-Out concept unveiled a year ago provides a solid notion of what such a vehicle would look like if it was made. The car looked like it was from the future, with several other exciting ideas. At the time, Nissan also said it would add 15 more E.V.s to its lineup by 2030. Could one of them be a Frontier that runs on electricity? Only time will tell.
