Nissan Altima

The Altima is a midsize sedan currently being manufactured by the Japanese automaker Nissan, and is arguably a continuation of the "bloodline" that began with the Nissan Bluebird in 1957. It is larger, has more features, and is more expensive than the Nissan Sentra compact car; but is cheaper, less luxuriously appointed, and offers less powerful engines than the Nissan Maxima sports sedan. It competes with the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Mitsubishi Galant.

In addition to North America, the Altima is available in the Middle East. In other markets, Nissan sells a related midsize sedan called the Nissan Teana built on the same platform.

History

The Altima was introduced in 1993 as the replacement for the Nissan Stanza. The very first Altima rolled off the assembly line on June 15, 1992 as a 1993 model. Until June 2004, all Altimas had been built in Smyrna, Tennessee. However, in June 2004, Nissan's Canton, Mississippi, plant began producing additional Altimas to meet high demand.

The Altima has had three design generations: 1993-1997, 1998-2001, and 2002+.

First generation: 1993-1997

The original 1993 Altima was a rebadged Japanese-market Nissan Bluebird (U13 series). The official name of the car was the Nissan "Stanza Altima", and the trunk lid had a sticker reading "Stanza" in stylized lettering.

The 1993 Altima had a single airbag on the driver's side, and used automatic shoulder belts for the front seats.

It came with the KA24DE I4 DOHC engine capable of developing 150hp.

Second generation: 1998-2001

The second generation (U14) shared the Japanese Bluebird's doors but not the front and rear fascias.

It came with the same KA24DE I4 DOHC engine as the first generation Altima. However, the engine was upgraded to produce 155hp starting in 1999.

Third generation: 2002-2006

The third generation Altima, first sold in 2002, has been well received by the press because of its design, power, and style. It was the first mass-market product built on Nissan's larger sedan platform. It is unique to North America and has no equivalent model in Japan, where smaller vehicles tend to be favored by buyers. The Japanese Nissan Teana is similar, but not identical and slots between the Altima and Maxima in size.