In case you didn’t know, Nissan is bringing a new Altima sedan to the 2018 New York Auto Show. The automaker made that abundantly clear when it released a new teaser video featuring the Empire State Building. So that’s happening. What’s less certain is our expectation of what the new Altima is going to be. Either way, save the date for March 28. The new Nissan Altima is on its way.
Sedan’s might be on the decline in the U.S., but they still pull in heavy sales. The Altima, for example, sold 254,996 units in 2017. That’s a big total, even if it was down from its record sales year in 2014 when Nissan moved 335,644 units. Nissan still has big plans for its mid-size sedan, and we’re going to see the sixth-generation model when it hits the Big Apple in a little over a month’s time.
The teaser video didn’t reveal much, but don’t expect anything groundbreaking out of the new Altima. It should still receive a four-cylinder engine as a base powertrain. The likely candidate would be the same 2.5-liter four-banger that was used in the last model. Don’t be surprised, though, if Nissan opts to switch things up for the sixth-gen model. A 3.5-liter V-6 unit is also likely given the fact that the Altima has always had a version of that engine. Likewise, a hybrid version should also be in the cards. The sedan will also sport a front-wheel drive setup, but rumors have circulated that an all-wheel-drive system could be thrown into the mix as an option.
The design of the sixth-generation Altima is open to interpretation. We’ve seen prototype versions go on test runs in the past few months, but there’s growing belief that the new Altima will adopt styling cues from the Nissan Vmotion 2.0 Concept that the automaker unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show last month. It's not likely to be as dramatic as the concept, but the Vmotion 2.0 is a good peg for the Altima if it's really going to make a statement in its super competitive segment.
More details should arrive as we draw closer to the New York Auto Show. For now, check out the Vmotion 2.0 Concept and imagine how it’s going to look like as the sixth-generation Altima. Intriguing, right?
References
Nissan Altima
Read our full review on the 2017 Nissan Altima.
Read our full review on the 2017 Nissan Vmotion 2.0 Concept
Read more Nissan news.
Read more New York Auto Show news.