Nissan makes luxury play with $62,000 Armada
Automaker ups the ante on its flagship SUV with the Platinum Reserve
Nissan is making a play for the upscale market with a version of its full-size SUV that pushes into luxury territory.
The Japanese automaker on Thursday introduced the 2018 Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve, which starts at $61,690 for the 2-wheel-drive version and $64,590 for a 4-wheel-drive unit.
Pegged for promotion at the annual State Fair of Texas, which often features major truck and sport-utility vehicle announcements, the Armada Platinum Reserve boasts many of the comforts typically associated with luxury brands.
But with SUVs as the reigning sales royalty of the auto industry, it makes sense as buyers have continually demanded more upscale versions of models. Ford, Ram and others, for instance, have created higher trim levels of their pickups which also push well above the $50,000 mark — and have found buyers.
The Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve has some new technology, including a backup camera view that shows up as an image in the rear-view mirror, the first for any Nissan model. The vehicle also gets dark chrome exterior trim, 20-inch wheels, two-tone leather seating and black quartz and wood tone interior trim.
The Platinum variant already makes up more than half of Armada sales. “It makes sense to offer customers something even more luxurious on our flagship model,” said Billy Hayes, a Nissan North America division vice president.