Nissan kicked off the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) this morning with a bold announcement of its new TITAN Warrior Concept. The announcement piggybacks off the company’s recent launch of the Cummins-powered TITAN XD, which is available in Nissan dealerships across American now. Fort he Warrior Concept, Nissan Design America (NDA) took the TITAN XD’s and added aggressive, athletic styling features to create this off-road truck.

“Truck buyers have a seemingly insatiable appetite for more content and more unique offerings,” said José Muñoz, executive vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and chairman, Nissan North America, Inc. “Even though our all-new 2016 TITAN XD just started arriving at Nissan dealers nationwide last month, we are already exploring new territory where TITAN might go in the future.”

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The TITAN Warrior Concept builds on the customization of the original Titan truck that was used for the recent Project Titan, a crowd-sourced customization that sent two U.S. military veterans representing Wounded Warrior Project on an off-road adventure in Alaska. The Warrior Concept also pays homage to Nissan’s off-road heritage and the days of Baja “Hardbody” pickups and Paris-Dakar Rally treks.

Just like the all-new TITAN XD, the Warrior Concept is powered by a Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel engine that essentially takes the production version to the extreme. The design team wanted to maintain the TITAN XD Crew Cab’s standard wheelbase and length but give the truck a more pronounced stance. The Warrior Concept was lifted nearly three inches from 78.7 inches to 81.5 inches thanks to new, long-travel suspension that allowed the truck to fit 37-inch Pro Comp Xtreme MT2 tires mounted on custom 18 x 9.5-inch aluminum-alloy Nissan wheels that feature machined aluminum surfaces and a dark matte finish.

For the suspension, Nissan employed “racing style” internal bypass reservoir coilover shocks with custom reservoir mounts and tie-rod extensions up front. Out back, modifications include custom internal bypass reservoir shocks with custom reservoir mounts. Nissan also says the Warrior Concept features adjusted-length prototype axles along with a custom sway bar, relocated sway bar brackets and rear lift blocks and U-bolts. Hydraulic pressurized bump stops were also added front and rear. The width of the Warrior Concept truck also was extended three inches on each side, giving the truck an overall width that changes from 80.6 inches total to 86.6 inches.

The design team looked to create a “modern armor” look with the new concept, giving it a “stealthy, robotic quality” that incorporates more machine-like, sharper-edge appearance. Nissan says the grille and TITAN headlights were enhanced to offer a more technical, menacing look, while the front and rear fenders have been flared out to accommodate the tires and for added styling. Functional hood vents were added for cooling the powerful diesel engine. The broad hoodline is balanced underneath by the large front skidplate, which interlocks into the powerful front bumper.

For added visibility off-road and additional styling cues, the Nissan team also added custom LED lights, front and rear, while roof-mounted LED off-road lights also give the truck more nighttime vision. The TITAN Warrior Concept also adds several aerodynamic elements, including carbon fiber rear cab spoiler and tailgate spoilers. The paint for the truck is a custom matte-gunmetal paint called “Thunder,” which is accented in special “Magma” orange and black color highlights.

The interior of the Warrior Concept also receives its fair share of updates, as the company notes the Nissan Design America wanted to give the vehicle a unique polished “chronograph” look and feel without sacrificing the performance theme. The seats are covered in a carbon-colored seat fabric trimmed with Magma orange accents. Carbon fiber is used in the interior accented with polished chrome finishes, while leather is accented Magma orange stitching.

The TITAN Warrior Concept’s steering wheel is a custom-built piece milled from one block of aluminum. The center stack features auxiliary toggle switches for additional off-road accessories such as the LED lighting or other upgrades. The team also installed instrument panel-mounted auxiliary gauges to monitor the Cummins engine and overall truck performance.

Nissan notes that its TITAN Warrior Concept at NAIAS comes one year since the debut of the production TITAN XD on the same stage. Nissan also recently aannounced its gas-powered Endurance V8 engine for the new TITAN and TITAN XD that produces 390 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque that will be available in early spring 2016.

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