We're not sure if Nissan was planning to reveal its next-gen Altima sedan ahead of the car's world premiere at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday, April 4, but either way, a first batch of pictures along with preliminary specs and prices were unloaded online today. The new Altima sports a sleeker and crispier design than its predecessor, evidently inspired from the larger Maxima. The mid-size sedan's interior is also new, but appears to be less exciting than the exterior in terms of styling.
"The safe thing to do would be to follow other automakers' paths, conservatively evolving the Altima so as not to upset the existing owner base. But that would not be in keeping with Nissan's 'Innovation for All' philosophy," commented Brian Carolin, Vice President of Nissan N.A.
"We took our most successful model and changed nearly everything – the look, the feel, the driving experience and, of course, the technology down to even the headlights and windshield wipers."
The fifth generation Altima keeps the same wheelbase as the outgoing Altima, but features a wider front and rear track (+1.4 inches).
It will reach U.S. dealerships this summer with a choice of two engines, a tweaked version of the 2.5-liter QR25 four-cylinder unit producing 182hp (+7hp) and a peak torque of 180 lb-ft, and 3.5-liter V6 VQ35DE, which remains rated at 270 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque.
A redesigned Xtronic CVT with new control logic and expanded gear ratio coverage transfers power to the front wheels on both models.
Nissan says that targeted fuel economy for the Altima 2.5L/CVT is 27 mpg city, 38 mpg highway and 31 mpg combined, and for the 3.5L V6/CVT Altima, 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined.
Later on, the Japanese automaker will add a hybrid model to the range, which combines a new 2.5-liter supercharged gasoline engine with a compact-size CVT package incorporating a single electric motor and two clutches with energy being stored in a lithium-ion battery.
Prices for the 2013 Nissan Altima sedan start at $21,500 for the base 4-cylinder model rising to $30,080 for the top V6 variant.
Photo Credits: Nissan via VWVortex
2013 Nissan Altima Sedan Prices:
Altima Sedan 2.5 CVT $21,500 USD
Altima Sedan 2.5 S CVT $22,500 USD
Altima Sedan 2.5 SV CVT $24,100 USD
Altima Sedan 2.5 SL CVT $28,050 USD
Altima Sedan 3.5 S CVT $25,360 USD
Altima Sedan 3.5 SV CVT $27,780 USD
Altima Sedan 3.5 SL CVT $30,080 USD
PHOTO GALLERY
The Almera nameplate is set to make a return to Nissan's lineup as a compact-sized sedan model, which the company says has been developed exclusively for Russia and will be manufactured locally in Togliatti on an all-new production line starting from early next year. According to the Japanese automaker, Nissan engineering teams in Japan, the UK and Russia developed the new Almera.
However, the single photo released by Nissan, suggests otherwise as the new Almera appears to be based on the second generation of the Japanese market Bluebird Sylphy that uses Nissan's B-platform and which was introduced in the country back in 2005.
Nevertheless, it's possible that Nissan made specific changes to the Almera to adapt it to the needs of the local market.
Nissan said the Almera will play a crucial role in significantly increasing the brand's share of the overall Russian car market by 2016
"Nissan already offers one of the broadest model line-ups of any foreign manufacturer in Russia, but to date we have not been strongly represented in the fastest growing mainstream market," said François Goupil De Bouille, Nissan Managing Director for Russia,
"Almera will change that and bring something new to the segment by offering outstanding value, unique Japanese design, interior space not previously available in this market sector and world-class quality The fact this is a car developed specifically for Russia, and manufactured locally in Togliatti, ensures it will fully meet the expectations and desires of our customers," he added.
The Nissan Almera sedan will receive its world premiere at this year's Moscow International Autosalon on August 29.
NISSAN BLUEBIRD SYLPHY
Having entered the final quarter of 2011, automakers are ushering in their new model year lineups, though most of the times, there's nothing really "new" about the cars other than the different designations. That's more or less the case with the 2012 Nissan 370Z series. The only changes for the new model year concern the addition of an oil-cooler as standard on both body styles, while Nissan eliminated the base 370Z Roadster with the 6-speed manual, leaving the more expensive Touring model for those that want to manually change gears while enjoying the sun.
The 350-horsepower NISMO 370Z continues without any changes for 2012.
Pricing for the entire range including the 370Z Coupe and Roadster remain unaffected from 2011, but feel free to refresh your memory by checking out the list below, keeping in mind that MSRPs exclude tax, license fees and destination charges.
MSRP for the 2012 Nissan 370Z Coupe include:
370Z Coupe 6MT $31,450 USD
370Z Coupe 7AT $32,750 USD
370Z Coupe Touring 6MT $36,150 USD
370Z Coupe Touring 7AT $37,450 USD
MSRP for the 2012 Nissan 370Z Roadster include:
370Z Roadster 7AT $39,500 USD
370Z Roadster Touring 6MT $42,200 USD
370Z Roadster Touring 7AT $43,500 USD
MSRP for the 2012 Nissan NISMO 370Z is:
370Z Coupe NISMO 6MT $40,830 USD
PHOTO GALLERY
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We're not sure if Nissan was planning to reveal its next-gen Altima sedan ahead of the car's world premiere at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday, April 4, but either way, a first batch of pictures along with preliminary specs and prices were unloaded online today. The new Altima sports a sleeker and crispier design than its predecessor, evidently inspired from the larger Maxima. The mid-size sedan's interior is also new, but appears to be less exciting than the exterior in terms of styling. 
