Bingo, it all in the eye of the beholder. No offense was intended.

 

Let's keep steering the course folks... thanks for your cooperation. The other Titan thread went bad... as usual. Let's keep this one civil.

RP

 

Is not another reason for Nissan, Toyota, Honda, ect... opening more plants in the US, is that they are limited to the number of vehicals they can bring into the states?
Here is a thoughts for ya...
Ford owns most if not all of Mazda. How about Ford re-badging the F150 for Mazda " M-150 "
Have my 04 F150 for 3 months now and lovin it more & more every day, what an AWESOME TRUCK!

 

I admit, I actually like the looks and performance of the Titan. It might be different, but it'll do anything the f-150 can do, and some things it can do better. Not trying to start a fight here. I'm just stating the facts. For the money, it's a good competitor next to the f-150. I'm glad to see a new style of truck for a change. What if today's trucks looked the same for the next 50 year's? Talk about boring...

 

Some people might not like this reply (it is civil), but I relate the Titan/F150 to the Harley/Honda battle. Harley has been making these amazing unique bikes forever. They have been sweeping the american market carrying a great name and a known presence, similar to that of the F150. Competitors Nissan/Honda see a company winning over the public with an untouched market and they know the only way in is to copy and where they can, make mild improvements to snare the non-loyalists. Next thing you know you have two bikes at a light and if you were deaf you couldnt tell which one is the harley (untrained eyes). The guy on the Honda loves to talk about how great his bike is, how its faster than the Harley, liquid cooled and sooo much cheaper, but he wont admit that that bike was designed around the Harley. That the designers of his bike were riding around on Harleys for months tearing them down and figuring out how to be just like them. Ford is tearing down the track making their own path with Nissan jumping in like a little brother trying to make a name for himself. This will cause the F150 to speed up and make even more tracks of its own, and maybe even learn a little something in the process. But like a Harley owner looking down at the Honda, the F150 owner looks at the Titan. Theres just something there missing out on...heritage, time tested quality and built Ford tough.

 

That was a very classy response Eddy. Great analogy in my opinion. Well done and said.

 

The Titan is a solid truck.

I have to say I'm glad they made it.

It forces Ford to stay competitve and not get complacent.

Which, in the end, will benefit us with better quality, better equipped, better designed Ford trucks...

--or--

a new Nissan or Toyota as they get forced to improve to keep up to redsigned Fords, Dodges and GMs.

So the net net (gawd I hate this saying) is that all truck buyers stand to benefit.


It's the circle of life.... continuous improvement to reduce competitve threats.

 

You don't really believe that Honda is looking at Harley for build quality and engineering! Thats a joke.

Hate to break the news to you, but a Harley engine has been the same design (basically) for the past 20 years. Its old tech. Honda cruisers know their bike is Harley knock-off, but they don't care.

Did you know the electronics on a Harley are from Japan?

 

DId you know parts in a Camary/Accord are from the US?

It's a global economy now guys. Competition is fierce, and only the strong will survive.

And yes, initially Honda did look at Harley and what they did. Your living on another planet if you think they didn't. Japan has an incredible ability to take US tech (old or new), refine it and pump out a very competitive product. They've been doing it for a very long time. Look at the Zenith company. They had a strangle hold on some electronics, then sold some technology to Japan. BAM! Japs are pumpin' out cheaper better products faster than you can say Cathode-Ray Tube.

 

Might want to see how Nissan ranks in build quality before that Titan finds a place in your drive.

All the big three place ahead of Nissan.

http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/...x_20040630.htm

JD Power quality ranking for initial and three year old build quality.

Sled...

 

Nissan engineers to fix problems in U.S.
Complaints add up in survey of quality

June 30, 2004

BY LYNDA EDWARDS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

JACKSON, Miss. -- Nissan Motor Co. has sent nearly 200 engineers from its Tokyo headquarters to solve problems consumers are reporting with vehicles made at its plants in Canton, Miss., and in Smyrna, Tenn.

Nissan communications director Fred Standish said Tuesday that engineers also would visit Nissan supplier plants, a Nissan engineering firm in Farmington Hills, Mich., and Nissan's San Diego design center.

The engineers were dispatched after consumer complaints about Nissan were published in the April J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study.

The study, conducted annually, questioned 51,000 consumers who bought or leased 2004 model-year trucks and cars. The survey is designed to spot complaints that occur in at least one out of every 100 vehicles. Consumer gripes about Canton-made vehicles included wind noise, vibrating brake pedals and paint blemishes.

The Canton plant opened in May 2003. It produces the new Altima, the Quest minivan, the Armada sport utility vehicle and the Titan truck for Nissan and the QX56 SUV for Infiniti. The Tennessee plant produces the Altima.

Nissan ranked 21st on last year's J.D. Power survey. It dropped to 32nd this year.

Standish said the problems would "absolutely not" mean managerial reshuffling or workforce changes at one of the Nissan plants.

"We're fully satisfied with the quality of our workforce in Mississippi. People picture planeloads of engineers descending like a SWAT team on the plants. It isn't like that at all."

U.S. sales of Nissan and its Infiniti luxury brand increased 28.2 percent through May 2004.

 

Hey sleddogg, this is for you dude!

 

cathode-ray tube.


damn! that was fast!

 

Another good read: http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/...8_20040628.htm

 

You are absolutely right, the engine is relatively the same over the years, knuckle, pan, flat, shovel, they are all the same right. You know I was thinkin, maybe Ford should make a Honda edition F150 like the Harley edition, wouldnt that be cool....NOPE
Why not? Because its not a harley. Why does harley cost way more than the hondas? Cause they can. You know last night I was watching American Chopper...and they put that new honda engine in it....oh no wait they didnt do that. They rather put a lawn mower engine in a bike. Why because Harley is the king of cruisers. Honda cloned Harley right down to the exhaust tones. They knew Harley had a good thing. I dont want to make this about that though, just saying its better to copy the good than the bad and we will all get better products from this. Oh and for the record I rather be sitting on an old flat head to a new honda any day. If you dont understand, I am sorry, maybe someday you will learn...