Nissan's ready for the worst snow storm with its trio of Winter Warriors at the Chicago Auto Show.
Automakers are looking to squeeze profits out of all aspects of their business, especially their aftermarket parts businesses. Nissan’s “Winter Warriors” should help raise the maker’s profile on that front.
Nissan equipped its popular SUV line-up – Pathfinder, Murano and Rogue – with heavy-duty snow tracks and a spate of other aftermarket products for the Chicago Auto Show.
“Rogue, Murano and Pathfinder are proven all-wheel-drive crossovers that are very popular with customers, judging from exceptional sales results in 2015 and now in January 2016,” said Christian Meunier, senior vice president, Nissan Sales & Marketing and Operations, Nissan North America, Inc.
“With the Winter Warriors, we wanted to take that idea to the extreme, enhancing the vehicles’ advanced systems with special snow tracks, Genuine Nissan Accessories, and a custom exterior appearance.”
While the snowtracks may seem like a viable option for many buyers given the recent wintry blasts that have hit many areas of the country, Nissan doesn’t offer them; however, the utes are equipped with cargo area protectors, all-season floor mats, roof rail crossbars and rear bumper protectors. They also each feature 9×9-foot hatch tents for true hardcore winter camping enthusiasts.
While the snow tracks aren't standard equipment, Nissan's ute line-up is ready for anything.
(Ford unveils new Explorer packages in Chicago. For more, Click Here.)
The fully functional snow tracks – 48 inches long, 30 inches high and 15 inches wide – replaced the wheels on the three vehicles, but required no modifications to the drivetrain: all three might as well be straight off the showroom floor.
“With their solid Nissan underpinnings and exceptional ground clearance, these Winter Warriors are serious, extreme weather machines, not toys,” said Meunier. “But, they sure are fun – just like our entire lineup of family adventure-ready Pathfinders, Muranos and Rogues that you can drive straight off the showroom floor.”
Nissan is just one of many automakers trying to highlight its aftermarket offerings. Last year, General Motors brought back its “Red Line” moniker for its aftermarket performance parts offerings. It showed a Chevy Camaro decked out in Red Line parts at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.
(Click Here to see more about Chevy’s new, more powerful Camaros.)
The goal was to see if the idea of Red Line series of Chevrolet cars, trucks and utility vehicles could be commercialized, according to Jim Campbell, GM vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports.
Perhaps the best-known of the aftermarket divisions is Fiat Chrysler’s Mopar. The legendary brand makes sure to remain highly visible with vehicles at shows like SEMA, where it brought 20 vehicles last year, as well as the regular auto show circuit.
In Nissan’s case, it’s using what may be its three highest-profile vehicles to make its point.
(To see how Mopar set up for SEMA with concept vehicles, Click Here.)
Nissan SUV and crossovers have experienced record sales in recent years. In 2015, Murano sales increased 33%, while Rogue set an all-time record of more than 287,000 units – an increase of 44%. The sales momentum has continued in 2016 with a record-setting month for Pathfinder, Rogue and Murano, to the tune of 5% , 26% and 46% increases, respectively.