A little over a year ago, Nissan showed the world the Nissan Vmotion 2.0 Concept sedan, one that displayed what the next Altima might look like. Well, Nissan just released the above sketch along with a press release that states, "This official exterior sketch reveals an expressive, sophisticated all-new Altima and hints at the future of Nissan's sedan design language." The sketch is almost as edgy as the concept, but neither one seems close to the spy shots of the new Altima testing.
The spy shots do show a much racier looking Altima that has sharp angles, but it's still far different from the new sketch. Regardless, it's time for the Altima to get redone. The fifth-gen Nissan Altima is an ok looking car. It's neither great to drive nor great to look at, but it is competent overall. Having been around since the 2013 model year, it's clearly in need of a redesign, especially since the 2018 Toyota Camry and the 2018 Honda Accord were recently redesigned and properly, at that. Both new sedans are seriously attractive in a segment that's typically boring.
On the bright side, it looks like the new car incorporates some of the design elements from the Vmotion 2.0 including the more prominent grille, the character lines, and the angled headlights. We're not completely surprised that it doesn't mimic the Vmotion, but the fact that sketch comes after spy shots is a bit odd. Take a look at the spy shot of the test car, and you can see much smaller front intakes than either the sketch or the Vmotion concept.
Though there are no details yet (but they should come before the 2019 Altima officially bows at the New York Auto Show), it's likely that the new car will get the same 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired to a CVT. We're not sure if the V6 option will survive, given what Honda did with theirs in the Accord. The radical and high-grade interior of the
