by Nissan prepares for major changes in its lineup
Nissan has announced plans to discontinue several models at once. In particular, the Altima sedan and the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid crossover are being cut. This decision is part of the “Mobility Intelligence for Everyday Life” strategy, which involves abandoning low-performing models in favor of promising development areas.
Why is the Altima leaving the market?
According to Ponz Pandikuthira, Chief Product & Planning Officer for Nissan Americas, the Altima will soon leave the market. He noted that the new generation Sentra, which has become more “grown-up,” will be able to meet the demand for sedans in the US.
Altima sales have been steadily declining in recent years. While in 2019 the company sold over 200,000 units per year, by 2025 this figure had dropped to 92,809 vehicles. The first half of 2026 turned out to be even worse: dealers sold only 42,288 Altimas, which is 31.9% less compared to the same period last year. According to forecasts, total sales for the year could be around 84,600 units.
In contrast, the Sentra is showing much better results. In the first six months of 2026, 75,549 vehicles were sold, which is only 11.7% less than in 2025. Thus, the Sentra is confidently outpacing the Altima in popularity.
The end of the era of the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid
In addition to the Altima, the company is also discontinuing the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid crossover. This model, which was essentially a reworked Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, served a specific role. As Pandikuthira explained:
We created this car with a very specific goal — to bring it to market as quickly as possible to see how having a hybrid in the lineup would affect overall demand. If people, browsing options online, see that the Rogue doesn’t have a hybrid version, they won’t even go to the dealer.
The model fulfilled its task, and now it will be replaced by the new Rogue e-Power. Pandikuthira promised that the future crossover will have a “very attractive price and good fuel efficiency.”
Nissan’s future: new models and technologies
Additionally, a company representative stated that the Ariya remains available in Canada, and Nissan is considering the possibility of returning this model to the US market. There was also mention of a future update to body-on-frame SUVs, which will lead to new versions of the Frontier and Xterra. Pandikuthira hinted at the possibility of releasing a three-row Nissan SUV, as well as two- and three-row versions for Infiniti. All these models will be available with both internal combustion engines and hybrid powertrains.
These changes indicate that Nissan is betting on crossovers and SUVs, gradually moving away from traditional sedans. The company is also actively developing hybrid technologies, particularly the e-Power system, which should become key in their electrification strategy. The abandonment of the Rogue PHEV in favor of e-Power suggests that Nissan sees greater potential in series hybrids that do not require charging from an external grid, yet provide high fuel efficiency. At the same time, plans to update body-on-frame SUVs show that the company does not intend to completely abandon traditional vehicles, but is trying to find a balance between innovation and proven solutions.
