The Nissan Altima, once ubiquitous, has finally been discontinued.

      Nissan

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      The moment has finally come, albeit later than many expected: the Nissan Altima is no more. This was confirmed by Ponz Pandikuthira, the company’s Senior VP and Chief Product & Planning Officer for the Americas, who also stated that the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid, a rebranded Mitsubishi Outlander that was always seen as a temporary solution, is also being discontinued after just one model year.

      Rumors about the Altima's end began circulating in 2024, predicting a two-year timeline for the midsize sedan’s fate. Now, two years later, we find ourselves at this point. The Altima was known for its unpredictable nature on American roads, but it's worth remembering its previous ubiquity, particularly during the '90s and early 2000s, when Nissan was experiencing a design revival.

      However, the Altima couldn't compete with the other family sedans. It has been eight years since its last redesign. For 2025, it lost its variable-compression turbocharged engine, and now it’s being retired completely. Pandikuthira mentioned to Wards Auto that the company plans to concentrate on the new Sentra, which he describes as more “mature.”

      From 2026 to now, Altima sales have decreased by 32%, dropping from 62,107 units to 42,288, while the Sentra has only seen a smaller decline of nearly 12%, from 85,523 to 75,549.

      We will always remember you, Nissan Altima SE-R.

      This should not be interpreted as Nissan showing a complete lack of interest in sedans, as the company actually intended to replace both the Altima and the Maxima (which was discontinued in 2023) with electric vehicles. However, market stagnation has delayed these plans for the time being.

      “We had planned two EV sedans to take the place of the Altima and Maxima, but EV sales haven’t gained traction yet,” Pandikuthira told Wards. “It might be closer to 2029 or 2030 before we see a comeback in that segment.”

      Regarding the Rogue PHEV, Nissan was upfront from the beginning that this model was only meant to have a short lifespan, allowing time to introduce its first domestic hybrid, the Rogue E-Power, to the market. “If online shoppers see that the Rogue doesn’t offer a hybrid, they won’t visit the dealer,” Pandikuthira explained. Mitsubishi provided assistance, and now that the plug-in SUV has fulfilled its purpose, it is being phased out.

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