New Nissan Altima revealed – Australian return on the cards

Nissan has revealed its sixth-generation Altima sedan at New York motor show, promising a high-tech rival for the popular Toyota Camry.

While it has yet to be confirmed for Australian sales, Nissan's local division has promised to re-invigorate its passenger car lineup after dropping vehicles such as the existing Altima and the smaller Pulsar and Micra models in recent years.

With the Japanese car maker currently using the Altime for its Supercar program that includes Drive Racing as part of the Nissan Motorsport stable, the new Altima is expected to form part of the passenger revival plan.

Unveiled today in New York, the new model is longer and more spacious than the car it replaces and is the first Nissan model to adopt the hightech variable compression engine technology first introduced by sister brand, Infiniti, in its upcoming QX50 SUV.

The 2.0-litre turbo charged engine will replace the 3.5-litre V6 in the existing line-up, and offers similar levels of performance with significant fuel economy savings.

In the Altima, it produces 184kW of power and 370Nm of torque with "double digit" reduction in fuel consumption compared to the V6.

It alters it compression ratio between 8:1 during high performance driving to 14:1 while cruising, giving a duality that Nissan claims offers the best of both worlds without any compromise.

The VC Turbo engine, as it is called, will be offered in high-grade models in the US and will be exclusively offered in a front-wheel drive configuration, while regular variants will be powered by a uprated version of the 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four cylinder that now features direct injection technology to improve power outputs to 140kW and 245Nm and can be optioned with an all-wheel drive transmission.

The car's bold exterior design was inspired by the Vision 2.0 concept car that debuted at the 2017 Detroit motor show, and is both longer and wider than the car it replaces yet sits slightly lower thanks to its raked roofline.

The wheelbase has been extended too, by a greater margin than the overall length, to increase occupant space within the five-seater cabin, which features higher-grade materials and cleaner overall design that is highlighted by a floating touch screen that comes equipped with a full suite of connectivity features including smartphone mirroring for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Altima is also equipped with Nissan's complete safety package, dubbed ProPilot Assist, that includes automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, rear cross traffic braking and a 360-degree camera.

Confirmation on Nissan Australia's plans to revive the Altima nameplate locally is expected within the next 12 months with the car anticipated to return to showrooms in late 2019 at the earliest.

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