Nissan Altima

The Altima (pronounced ALL-teh-mah) is a mid-size car (formerly compact) manufactured by the Japanese automaker Nissan, and is arguably a continuation of the "bloodline" that began with the Nissan Bluebird in 1957. It has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissan Sentra but less so than the Nissan Maxima.

In addition to North America, the Altima is available in the Middle East. In other markets, Nissan sells a related mid-size sedan called the Nissan Teana, which shares the FF-L and D platforms used by the Altima and Maxima. The Teana is in between the Altima and Maxima in size.

The Altima name was originally a trim line of the Nissan Laurel mid-size car sold in the Caribbean before 1992. In 1993, Nissan discontinued its much-criticized Stanza, replacing it with the US-made Altima, while remaining a compact car. The very first Altima rolled off the assembly line on June 15, 1992 as a 1993 model. All Altimas had been built in Smyrna, Tennessee until June 2004, when Nissan's Canton, Mississippi, plant began producing additional Altimas to meet high demand.