As the very first consumer drove his 2004 Nissan Titan off a dealer's lot last week, Nissan officially entered the jungle of the highly competitive full-size truck market. Nissan says that the Titan's full-size credentials are grabbing the attention of full-size truck owners. The first Titan, sold by Mossy Nissan Kearny Mesa in San Diego, was purchased by Juan Perez, a full-size truck owner for many years. Perez traded in a 2003 Ford F-150 for his new Nissan Titan. "Years ago, I owned Nissan compact trucks but my last several vehicles were domestic full-size trucks," said Perez. "I missed Nissan's reliability. After doing six months of research, I'm confident that the Titan is the right truck for me." "This first sale is a great indication that the Titan will appeal to full-size truck owners with a desire for size, power and innovation as well as reliability," said Fred Suckow, director of marketing, Nissan North America. "Domestic manufacturers have a lot of history in this segment, so the interest of their buyers reemphasizes Titan's credibility in a very competitive environment." Even before the Titan reached dealers' lots, it earned widespread recognition through numerous industry awards. Four Wheeler magazine presented the Titan its "Truck of the Year" award; Sport Truck appointed Titan as its "Sport Truck of the Year"; Smart Money magazine selected Titan over its competitors for its "Smart Money Award"; Edmunds.com, a premier Internet resource for consumer automotive information, named the Titan the "Most Significant Vehicle of the Year for 2004" as well as "Editors Most Wanted Large Truck for 2004"; Maxim also voted Titan its "Monster Truck of the Year" award. The Titan is built on an all-new full-length boxed ladder frame, featuring a newly designed Nissan Endurance 5.6-liter DOHC V8 with 305 horsepower and 379 lb-ft of torque, controlled by a standard 5-speed automatic transmission. Conceived, developed, styled and engineered primarily in North America, Titan is being assembled at Nissan's new $1.43 billion manufacturing facility in Canton, Miss. It went on sale early this month. About Nissan North America, Inc. In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissanusas.com.