Nissan Xterra – On Borrowed Time
It looks like Nissan’s Xterra SUV is the next car to get axed from the Japanese auto maker’s line-up.
According to Ward’s & Auto Guide – internal data suggests “the mid-size SUV category in which the Xterra fits totaled just 211,042 vehicles last year, compared to an all-time high of 1.65 million in 2000.” Surprisingly, however, there seems to be a mini-boom in the SUV segment as of late with that number up 42% over a ear ago.
Nissan product boss Larry Dominique did comment that execs at Nissan “are big fans of the SUV and plan to keep it in the product lineup or as long as possible. But, Xterra’s going to be a tough vehicle to keep around.”
The plan is to exceed the upcoming 34.1 mpg fleet fuel economy standard for 2016, with high-volume Sentra and Altima models. However, Nissan already has to overachieve in those areas to make up for the Titan’s it sells.
Dominique did reassure ans of the Frontier and Pathfinder that those models are safe. Nissan currently sits at third in the compact pickup segment with the Frontier and with Ford preparing to axe the Ranger, Frontier sales are likely to spike. The truck has already seen a sales increase that’s up 48.5 percent so far this year. (The Toyota Tacoma currently leads that segment).
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