Yahoo Autos Nissan Pathfinder Future Decided
'We need something new. We can redefine brawny,” Campbell says, much like lean modern athletes have redefined fitness. Think cyclist Lance Armstrong as opposed to the Mr. Olympia look of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
And it may be that Nissan needs different versions of the Pathfinder for different markets to address the divergence between developed and developing markets. Europe and North America are embracing more crossovers, whereas markets such as Africa still need off-road capability, says Tom Lane, corporate vice-president in charge of product planning and strategy for parent Nissan Motor Company, adding that Nissan may need to differentiate the architectures in the future.
The solution could be to allow one version of the Pathfinder to continue to evolve on the Armada/Titan platform for developing markets, while engineering a different vehicle for North America and Europe, potentially on the FF-L (for 'Front-engine, Front-wheel drive, and Large”) platform with all-wheel drive. FF-L is used for such vehicles as the Maxima, Altima, Murano, and Quest.
Dominique says to expect full disclosure this year. The next Pathfinder is still a couple years out.
Whichever way Nissan decides to go, its offering in the mid-size-SUV segment needs significant increases in fuel economy, Lane says, so the automaker is looking at ways to reduce weight and gain efficiency.
As for the full-size Armada, its customers tow, and the SUV will remain body-on-frame, Dominique says. But it also will get powertrain improvements for greater fuel economy, Lane says.
People buy full-size SUVs for specific reasons, Dominique says. 'They have big families, toys, lifestyle needs, and that won’t change. The segment has shrunk because those who don’t need those attributes have left.” But he is happy with how the Armada is faring in a segment under siege, with sales of almost 29,000 through November 2007, down less than three percent compared with the first 11 months of 2006.
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