TOKYO -- A newspaper reported Thursday that Nissan plans to develop a new heavy-duty version of its Titan pickup truck by the end of the decade to cash in on the lucrative U.S. market.

Currently, the Titan is only sold in the United States.

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The Wall Street Journal reported that the beefed-up version of Nissan's Titan would be aimed at contractors and trailer haulers. It would compete with vehicles such as Ford's F-250 pickup.

A Nissan spokeswoman declined comment.

The move would be a challenge to the domain of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, which have leaned on highly popular pickup trucks to offset slumping sales of passenger cars. The vehicle is reportedly scheduled to come out in late 2009.

Nissan would likely stop making Nissan Quest minivans at the company's assembly plant in Canton, Miss., to make room for the new Titan, the report said.

The Houston Chronicle reported that Nissan produced 99,775 units of the current Titan in 2005. Both the Titan and the Quest are made at the Mississippi plant, The Chronicle reported.