The future Nissan Titan pickup truck will be offered with an optional Cummins 5.0-liter V8 turbodiesel engine, Nissan confirmed on Tuesday.

Nissan said the new diesel engine is expected to deliver "more than 300 horsepower."

The company said that engineering-prototype trucks powered by the Cummins engine are undergoing extensive "on-public-highway performance and durability testing."

IRVINE, California — The future Nissan Titan pickup truck will be offered with an optional Cummins 5.0-liter V8 turbodiesel engine, Nissan confirmed on Tuesday.

Nissan said the new diesel engine is expected to deliver "more than 300 horsepower" with a torque rating in the "mid-500s." It marks the first time that a diesel engine has been offered in the Titan. Nissan did not offer a fuel economy estimate on the upcoming Titan equipped with the Cummins diesel engine.

The company said that engineering-prototype trucks powered by the Cummins engine are undergoing extensive "on-public-highway performance and durability testing."

The addition of a diesel engine is expected to put the Titan on a more equal footing against the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado.

The decision to offer a Cummins diesel — a name more closely linked with Chrysler's Ram trucks — in a Nissan truck comes just a few months after Nissan hired former Ram brand chief Fred Diaz to head Nissan's U.S. sales.

The 2014 Ram Heavy Duty pickup offers an optional 6.7-liter Cummins high-output turbodiesel. The new 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is equipped with a 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine built by Chrysler supplier VM Motori.

Diaz said in a Nissan statement that truck owners want the "performance and torque of a diesel in a capable truck that doesn't require the jump up to a heavy-duty commercial pickup."

"There is no question that the new Titan will turn heads and with the available Cummins 5.0-liter V8 turbodiesel. We expect to win new fans and attract buyers looking for this unique configuration," Diaz said.

Nissan said it is not announcing launch dates for the redesigned Titan.

Edmunds says: A Nissan Titan with a diesel engine is likely to provide consumers with range and mileage benefits — and another reason to shop the truck against the mighty competition from the Motor City.