The term ‘non-binary’ has been a mainstay of the English language for countless years, especially in the mathematics, science and technology communities. Defined as ‘not relating to, composed of, or involving just two things’ the terminology has more recently been adapted by younger generations for discussion of gender. Implying that limitation of gender identity to either “male” and “female” is disrespectful to those who don’t identify as either one. In fact, there is an insistence that conversation of gender must now exist across a spectrum, including self-assigned (i) Gender Identity (i) Gender Expression (iii) Biological Sex and (iv) Sexual Orientation. With all due respect, if you’re looking to gain a better understanding of one another, it would appear that ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’ has gone right out the window. But corporations and marketers worldwide are recognizing the risk to their continued success if they don’t operate with a degree of sensitivity towards the #woke generation. And in terms of automakers, no automaker division might have proven themselves more #woke than Nissan trucks, who have made the groundbreaking decision to highlight the parallels between gender diversity and truck selection.
“For years, truck buyers were limited in their options,” explains Nissan Senior VP, Glen S. DeVeau. “The decision to buy a truck meant choosing behind Ford and Chevy, and most of those decisions became (or stemmed from) lifelong loyalties. When you think of the value offered by Nissan, and other truck manufacturers, such thinking serves as the perfect example of what an outdated status quo looks like. Here at Nissan, we choose to look forward. We embrace the truck buyers of tomorrow, whatever their lifestyle might be. This is the 21st century, people…there are more than two choices in everything!”
This was the opening of DeVeau’s speech to the automotive press community last week. Considered a revolutionary stance for any automaker, the statements made were nothing if not bold.
“According to new buyer interviews, approximately 43% of Nissan truck customers would have otherwise purchased their truck from Ford or Chevy (including RAM and GMC as traditional alternatives). With the strides made by our Titan, along with Toyota’s Tacoma and Tundra, we’re proving that there are more ‘boxes’ that deserve to be ticked.”
“Aren’t we forgetting about the Honda Ridgeline?” asked a member of the press corps.
With a dismissive smirk, DeVeau continued, “Trucks and humanity have a lot in common; both are at their best when represented across a wider spectrum. We should be embracing our differences, rather than being compartmentalized by labels.”
A revolutionary stance? Sure. But also a divisive one when you consider the arguments against the growing diversity of truck options. We spoke to Andy Harris, second-generation owner of Harris Automotive in Fitzwilliam NH, for his thoughts.
“When my dad opened this garage, he ain’t never worked on much than Fords and Chevys. He built a business working on two kinds of trucks, raised a family while working on two kinds of trucks, taught me how to work on two kinds of trucks. Nowadays, you open the hood and you’re not even sure what to expect. My boys are almost teenagers now and want to take this shop over from me someday. How am I supposed to talk to them about this? To them, it’s probably scary and kind of confusing. I’ll tell you one thing…if I ever walk in here and see them working on a truck, and they find out its a Honda Ridgeline in disguise, I’ll shoot the fucking truck.”
What are your thoughts on the increasing diversity of upstart truck offerings in recent years?
