After Nissan announced plans to exit the full-size pickup segment in 2024, rumors have continued to circulate about the automaker’s consideration of a light-duty electric truck. While the Japanese automaker doesn’t expect to enter the electric pickup market anytime soon, company executives say Nissan will eventually need to go electric in the truck segment.
During the Japan Mobility Show on Wednesday, Nissan Global Product Strategy Executive Ivan Espinosa told Automotive News that the automaker plans to continue investing in a future pickup. However, Espinosa says an electric pickup won’t hit the market anytime soon — despite the company’s continued investments.
“One thing you can be sure about is we’re going to keep investing in the truck segment,” Espinosa said. “How do we evolve … is the question that we are discussing internally. Eventually, we will have to electrify the truck.”
Despite the statements, Espinosa refused to formally comment on product plans. Instead, he pointed to the fact that U.S. automakers have been hard to beat in the full-size pickup market.
“You have competitors doing 700,000 trucks a year,” Espinosa said. “So it’s a bit of a difficult space to play now.”
-->Nissan sold 76,183 Frontier mid-size trucks in the U.S. last year, so a future electric Frontier wouldn’t seem beyond the automaker’s long-term ambitions.
However, electric pickups won’t be the first EVs to roll out, according to Espinosa. Additionally, previous rumors have suggested that the automaker wouldn’t bring an electric pickup to market until 2030.
“The demand for electrification is concentrating today much more on the C-SUV and D-SUV [segments],” Espinosa added. “These are the ones that you will start seeing rolling into first. And I see trucks a little bit on the later stage.”
I really hope the future of cars is actually close to the concept cars big auto makes. Look at this Nissan car just unveiled here in Tokyo. #nissan #JapanMoblityShow pic.twitter.com/Nwga7qTrV1
— WHAT'S INSIDE? (@whatsinside) October 25, 2023
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The statements come as the electric pickup segment emerges with new contributions like the Rivian R1T and the forthcoming Tesla Cybertruck, as well as larger electrified trucks from Ford, Chevrolet and GMC, among others. It also comes as Nissan has unveiled a few concept EVs at Japan Mobility, including the above-pictured Nissan Hyper Force.
Along with ending production of the Titan in 2024, Nissan has announced plans to phase out the Leaf electric vehicle (EV), which was one of the earliest battery-electric cars to be introduced to global markets.
The automaker has also faced production stalls and other issues with the production of the Nissan Ariya, though it increased the number of EVs it hopes to debut by 2030 to 19 from 15 earlier this year.
With plans to make 40 percent of its sales fully electric in the U.S. by 2030 and a renewed ambition in the EV space, many have speculated around the subject of an electric pickup from the automaker. Nissan was also reportedly considering the idea of a Titan EV back in 2020, though the automaker will now exit the full-size pickup market with the Titan ending production next year.
-->Nissan Dealer Board Chairman Tyler Slade told Automotive News a few months ago that the automaker would want to make a $40,000 electric pickup rather than competing directly with more expensive, larger EV trucks.
“They don’t want to be in the Rivian or the [Tesla] Cybertruck space,” Slade said. “They want to be in the affordable $40,000 range.”
Tesla and Nissan agree to NACS compatibility in most recent adoption
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.
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Elon Musk
SpaceX’s Starship program is already bouncing back from Booster 18 fiasco
Just over a week since Booster 18 met its untimely end, SpaceX is now busy stacking Booster 19, and at a very rapid pace, too.
SpaceX is already bouncing back from the fiasco that it experienced during Starship Booster 18’s initial tests earlier this month.
Just over a week since Booster 18 met its untimely end, SpaceX is now busy stacking Booster 19, and at a very rapid pace, too.
Starship V3 Booster 19 is rising
As per Starbase watchers on X, SpaceX rolled out the fourth aft section of Booster 19 to Starbase’s MegaBay this weekend, stacking it to reach 15 rings tall with just a few sections remaining. This marks the fastest booster assembly to date at four sections in five days. This is quite impressive, and it bodes well for SpaceX’s Starship V3 program, which is expected to be a notable step up from the V2 program, which was retired after a flawless Flight 11.
Starship watcher TankWatchers noted the tempo on X, stating, “During the night the A4 section of Booster 19 rolled out to the MegaBay. With 4 sections in just 5 days, this is shaping up to be the fastest booster stack ever.” Fellow Starbase watcher TestFlight echoed the same sentiments. “Booster 19 is now 15 rings tall, with 3 aft sections remaining!” the space enthusiast wrote.
Aggressive targets despite Booster 18 fiasco
SpaceX’s V3 program encountered a speed bump earlier this month when Booster 18, just one day after rolling out into the factory, experienced a major anomaly during gas system pressure testing at SpaceX’s Massey facility in Starbase, Texas. While no propellant was loaded, no engines were installed, and no one was injured in the incident, the unexpected end of Booster 18 sparked speculation that the Starship V3 program could face delays.
-->Despite the Booster 18 fiasco, however, SpaceX announced that “Starship’s twelfth flight test remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.” Elon Musk shared a similar timeline on X earlier this year, with the CEO stating that “ V3 is a massive upgrade from the current V2 and should be through production and testing by end of year, with heavy flight activity next year.”
Considering that Booster 19 seems to be moving through its production phases quickly, perhaps SpaceX’s Q1 2026 target for Flight 12 might indeed be more than feasible.
News
Elon Musk makes a key Tesla Optimus detail official
“Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote on X.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk just made a key detail about Optimus official. In a post on X, the CEO clarified some key wording about Optimus, which should help the media and the public become more familiar with the humanoid robot.
Elon Musk makes Optimus’ plural term official
Elon Musk posted a number of Optimus-related posts on X this weekend. On Saturday, he stated that Optimus would be the Von Neumann probe, a machine that could eventually be capable of replicating itself. This capability, it seems, would be the key to Tesla achieving Elon Musk’s ambitious Optimus production targets.
Amidst the conversations about Optimus on X, a user of the social media platform asked the CEO what the plural term for the humanoid robot will be. As per Musk, Tesla will be setting the plural term for Optimus since the company also decided on the robot’s singular term. “Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote in his reply on X.
This makes it official. For media outlets such as Teslarati, numerous Optimus bots are now called Optimi. It rolls off the tongue pretty well, too.
Optimi will be a common sight worldwide
While Musk’s comment may seem pretty mundane to some, it is actually very important. Optimus is intended to be Tesla’s highest volume product, with the CEO estimating that the humanoid robot could eventually see annual production rates in the hundreds of millions, perhaps even more. Since Optimi will be a very common sight worldwide, it is good that people can now get used to terms describing the humanoid robot.
-->During the Tesla 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk stated that the humanoid robot will see “the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever,” starting with a one-million-Optimi-per-year production line at the Fremont Factory. Giga Texas would get an even bigger Optimus production line, which should be capable of producing tens of millions of Optimi per year.
News
Tesla is improving Giga Berlin’s free “Giga Train” service for employees
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
Tesla will expand its factory shuttle service in Germany beginning January 4, adding direct rail trips from Berlin Ostbahnhof to Giga Berlin-Brandenburg in Grünheide.
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
New shuttle route
As noted in a report from rbb24, the updated service, which will start January 4, will run between the Berlin Ostbahnhof East Station and the Erkner Station at the Gigafactory Berlin complex. Tesla stated that the timetable mirrors shift changes for the facility’s employees, and similar to before, the service will be completely free. The train will offer six direct trips per day as well.
“The service includes six daily trips, which also cover our shift times. The trains will run between Berlin Ostbahnhof (with a stop at Ostkreuz) and Erkner station to the Gigafactory,” Tesla Germany stated.
Even with construction continuing at Fangschleuse and Köpenick stations, the company said the route has been optimized to maintain a predictable 35-minute travel time. The update follows earlier phases of Tesla’s “Giga Train” program, which initially connected Erkner to the factory grounds before expanding to Berlin-Lichtenberg.
-->Tesla pushes for majority rail commuting
Tesla began production at Grünheide in March 2022, and the factory’s workforce has since grown to around 11,500 employees, with an estimated 60% commuting from Berlin. The facility produces the Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, for both Germany and other territories.
The company has repeatedly emphasized its goal of having more than half its staff use public transportation rather than cars, positioning the shuttle as a key part of that initiative. In keeping with the factory’s sustainability focus, Tesla continues to allow even non-employees to ride the shuttle free of charge, making it a broader mobility option for the area.
SpaceX’s Starship program is already bouncing back from Booster 18 fiasco
Elon Musk makes a key Tesla Optimus detail official
