Remember the Titans

Nissan will be out of the business of building full-size trucks after only one generation. In a deal with Chrysler, Nissan will be making a version of the entry-level Versa for Chrysler to sell in South America starting in 2009. The following year Nissan will manufacture another small car for Chrysler for worldwide distribution. In return, Nissan will be given a re-badged version of the Dodge Ram beginning in 2011.

When the Titan first arrived in 2004, Nissan built a new facility in Canton, Mississippi, specifically for their full-size truck/SUV/minivan platform. Now that the Titan is moving out of town, this will be replaced by new commercial vehicles Nissan is developing for the North American market.

About 30 years ago, famed former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca had a plan. He believed that the auto industry should merge a European, Japanese, and American car company into a “Global Motors” conglomerate. With Nissan and Renault already sharing stock and a CEO, could the ailing Chrysler be the final piece of Iacocca’s prophecy?