Skip to main content

Project Titan is go: Nissan’s crowdsourced pickup embarks into the Alaskan wilderness

Nissan’s marketing manager needs a raise.

Between its brilliant trolls of Ferrari, countless attention-grabbing concepts, and steady commitment to boundary-pushing technological showcases, the Japanese automaker clearly knows how to keep its image fresh in the minds of the motoring world.

The latest example of that? Project Titan.

Project Titan directly involves fans in the production process of a one-off Nissan Titan by allowing them to vote on 10 different areas of customization. The voting process has ended, but the chosen areas included suspension, tires, truck beds, interior, bumper, exhaust, winches, lights, wraps, and wheels.

What Nissan’s fans have indirectly created is a military-style off-roading machine, with enough gadgets and gizmos to navigate any obstacle placed before it.

Related: Nissan wins the Internet, trolls Ferrari with Nyan Cat-wrapped GT-R

The exterior of the vehicle has been fitted with an ARB Deluxe Bull Bar, a one-piece steel bumper replacement that protects the vehicle from animal strikes. The Bull Bar integrates a recovery winch and the truck rides on beefy 35-inch Grappler tires. High articulation PRG suspension gives those big wheels room to travel over the rough Alaskan terrain, and a “Recon Titan” camouflage wrap dresses everything up.

The pickup is also equipped with an all-terrain trailer, one that holds a camp-style kitchen, water/fuel storage, a tent, and of course, a spare tire.

Piloting the beefy Titan will be two alumni from the Wounded Warrior Project. Nissan will document the trek with a YouTube series this fall.

This isn’t the first time Nissan has leaned on crowdsourcing to create a unique project and boost company presence. In 2012, the company debuted another crowdsourced one-off: Project 370Z.

Instead of a rugged Alaskan adventure, the 370Z was built with the track in mind. The sporty coupe was enhanced with a Greddy twin turbo Kit, high-flow exhaust, performance engine management system, and an array of suspension upgrades. In the end, the 370Z produced over 500 horsepower.

Follow along with Project Titan’s adventure at the Nissan Trucks Facebook page.

Andrew Hard
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…
Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work
Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Read more
Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?
Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Read more
EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says
ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.

Read more