- The Altima and Rogue Plug-In Hybrid are going away.
- Nissan says the Altima is dying in order that the brand new Sentra can reside.
- The Rouge E-Energy will exchange the Mitsubishi-based mannequin.
- A number of Nissan and Infiniti body-on-frame fashions are coming.
Many people have been taken unexpectedly final December when Nissan introduced the Altima would reside to see the 2026 mannequin 12 months. It’s an getting old product competing in a shrinking sedan market, and with the brand new Sentra now out, there’s no level in retaining each. Eight years after the current-generation mannequin debuted, the Altima is lastly going away, and it’s not the one mannequin about to die.
Ponz Pandikuthira, senior vice chairman and chief product & planning officer for Nissan Americas, spoke with WardsAuto about how the corporate is about to reshuffle its lineup. He confirmed the Altima is dying to present the brand new, “grown-up” Sentra respiratory room. The unsurprising information follows the axing of the entry-level Versa after the 2025 mannequin 12 months, whereas the Maxima bowed out after the 2023 mannequin 12 months, leaving the Sentra as the only surviving sedan in america. Nonetheless, the Versa lives on in different markets, the place it lately switched to the next generation.
The pair of beforehand introduced US-made electric sedans isn’t coming to market in spite of everything as a result of Nissan is anxious there wouldn’t be sufficient demand. Pandikuthira initiatives that the state of affairs is unlikely to vary till the flip of the last decade, when manufacturing prices for EVs ought to hopefully come down. Though not talked about in the course of the interview, there’s one other gas-powered sedan on the way in which.
Debuting this winter, Japan’s next-generation Nissan Skyline will spawn a extra luxurious Infiniti spinoff for North America. Presumably the Q50 successor, it’s anticipated to mix a rear-wheel-drive format with a guide gearbox and a twin-turbo V6 borrowed from the Z sports activities automobile. An computerized can also be potential, however the firm has already dominated out a CVT.
Past sedans, Pandikuthira stated the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid is already going away, though it simply arrived for the 2026 mannequin 12 months. The corporate’s product boss defined the Mitsubishi Outlander-based mannequin has “served its function” by permitting Nissan to supply a hybrid as quickly as potential. It was primarily a stopgap mannequin to convey folks into showrooms till the brand new Rogue E-Power arrives for the 2027 mannequin 12 months.
Pandikuthira additionally touched on the Xterra and the way the reborn off-road SUV will share its body-on-frame platform with as many as 4 different derivatives that includes combustion engines and hybrid drivetrains. Except for the Frontier pickup truck, the underpinnings is also used for a three-row Nissan SUV, in addition to two- and three-row Infiniti SUVs. The Xterra is described as a “life-style car” with a V6 below the hood. Nonetheless, Nissan says these body-on-frame SUVs might additionally get a hybrid setup for additional energy and improved effectivity.
2028 Nissan Xterra teaser
Picture by: Nissan
Motor1’s Take: There’s loads going on at Nissan today, and never simply within the U.S. Globally, 11 models will be retired, shrinking the lineup from 56 to 45 autos. Sooner or later, the remaining fashions can be break up into 4 classes: Heartbeat, Core, Progress, and Associate. The Xterra and Skyline are a part of the Heartbeat lineup, whereas the Rogue E-Energy and the not-for-America electric Juke are Core fashions.
It’s too quickly to say whether or not the product portfolio shake-up will flip issues round, however Nissan seems to be on the best path. It wants at the very least a few heavy hitters in its lineup, and the Xterra would possibly match the invoice if the corporate sticks to its pledge to maintain it below $40,000.
