– Nissan has priced its 2004 Titan full-size pickup at $22,400 for the base King Cab 4×2 and $25,100 for the base Crew Cab 4×2. That’s from $2,600 less than a Ford F-150 to $3,000 less than a Dodge Ram, Nissan says. The top-of-the line King Cab LE 4×4 will start at $31,900 and the Crew Cab LE 4×4 will start at $34,200, or about $3,000 to $3,500 less than comparable models from its U.S. rivals, Nissan says. All prices exclude a $650 freight charge. The Titan trucks go on sale Dec. 1.
– Base price on the 2004 Kia Amanti is $24,995, not including the $540 destination charge. The Amanti goes on sale in late November as Kia’s largest passenger car. It is derived from the Hyundai XG350 and uses the same 3.5-liter V-6 engine but has different styling.
– Ford says it will enter the low cab-forward market in the ’06 model year with a new truck being developed as part of a joint venture with Navistar International Corp. Low cab forward means it is a medium-duty truck designed for easy maneuverability and driver visibility for the delivery industry as well as rental and leasing fleets, a market Ford says that has grown 50 percent in the last decade.
– Ford has raised the incentives on its 2004 F-150 pickup truck, just two months after the model went on sale, including offers aimed at owners of Chevrolet and Dodge pickups. Ford spokesman Jim Cain says the F-150 is now offered with a loan rate of 0.9 to 2.9 percent, 2 points lower than before. Ford also broadened a $1,000 loyalty bonus it had offered to Ford pickup owners to include anyone who owned a Ford vehicle built after 1997. And Ford is offering that bonus to owners of Dodge Ram and Chevrolet Silverado pickups who trade in their vehicles for a new F-150.
