IMO, Chrysler would never let a HEMI go into another brands vehicle, even if they were product sharing...they'll probably use the 4.7 V8 though...

Besides, Nissans 5.6L VK56DE V8 used in the Titan is a pretty descent engine from what I hear...

 

Yeah, the truck itself just sucks.

 

As a former Dodge owner and current nissan owner, I'd say this doesn't scare me too much. Yes it's alittle disappointing that this is all happening but it comes with the times. I liked my 96 dodge because it had power and looks. When I was truck shopping, the Nissan was so much quieter and rattled less than the new Dodges. Plus, packaging the same, the Nissan was a good 8k less. Nissan does interiors and their drivetrain well. The same can't be said for the body and such. I hope that this partnership helps both companies where they need to improve, Nissan on truck durability and Dodge on interior quality.

 

From reading auto reviews a lot I get the impression that Nissan makes some pretty fun to drive small cars which is one of the things Dodge needs right now (biggest mistake they made was killing the Neon). I definitely agree it would be stupid on Chrysler's part to give Nissan the Hemi as an engine option though. Hemi is a Mopar tradition and it should stay that way.

 

Well it better not be based off of the Sentra, because that car blows.

 

Agreed, and on top of that, even if the car was good, the issue is these arrangements more often than not turn out bad for Chrysler. Here Chrysler is about to trade one of their bread and butter products in for a third rate car. For years Chrysler had rebadged many Mitsubishi products that were actually good and they didn't sell worth a darn and neither did the ones that weren't very good. Why do they believe this time it will be different?

On top of this, majority of the times that GM and Ford have done this it has resulted in the same failure. There are only a handful of times that this was a success and no real example of an outstanding success. The Big Three are the most successful when they do their own work.

This also begs the question, why can't the company that once made the Neon be able to make the Neon's successor by themselves? Why in their minds must they rely on manufacturers who often times make inferior products to theirs to build a new car?

What Chrysler needs to do is pick up the blue prints of the Neon and look at the aspects of the Neon that made it a successful car and implement them on a new car.

The thing that also bothers me about a relationship like this is they might use a Nissan powertrain. Now there are some engines that Nissan has that I like such as the VQ -series V6; however, their I4s have a reputation for having reliability issues. Then it makes me worry that they will be even more likely to use those awful CVTs. No matter what they get, they should use their own I4s (excuse me their joint venture I4s) over anything Nissan offers them and use their own transmissions.

 

I think Chysler got the better half of the deal. I don't think Nissan is going to be serious about thier trucks in the future, but they want to make sure they have an option for the Nissan enthusiasts that won't buy anything else. If trucks end up becoming a niche market with the new cafe, this could prove to be a smart move. If they remain popular, they're in trouble. Those that want a Ram will buy a Ram, and the Titan will go the way of the Raider...nowhere. However, Chysler could use all the help they can get in the small car arena, so this is a good move for them.

And, by the way, everyone realizes that Hyundai owns Kia, right, so one can't be crap and the other improving when they are built side by side.