Glendale Nissan Official Blog
Flashback Friday: History of the Nissan Altima
By Product Expert | Posted in Nissan Altima on Friday, March 4th, 2016 at 6:17 pm
The origin of Altima can be traced all the way back to the 1950’s and has since come a long way, transforming into one of the most highly regarded affordable midsize sedans on the market. Year-after-year it has been recognized for its success in achieving top safety ratings by the IIHS and NHTSA. It serves a wide variety of drivers and has especially found a niche as a top-choice family sedan.
Reflecting back on its earlier years, you would hardly be able to recognize the Altima, and because it has come such a long way, undergoing a refresh for 2016, let’s take a look at the production timeline of the Nissan Altima.
The year was 1958 when the Datsun 1200 sedan first came to the U.S. market. Hard to believe, but this is the first Nissan Altima taking form. Oddly enough, it shared the same platform as the Datsun pickup truck and eventually was replaced by the 1200 sedan just one year later. Powered by a 4-cylinder engine paired with a 4-speed manual column shift, it managed up to 48 hp.
Meet the Datusn 411, four door sedan that first became available in 1967. With Italian stylings, this version was a bigger hit in America and the biggest feature to announce was the fully automatic transmission. Its 3-speed automatic was paired to a 4-cylinder engine and maxed out at 96 hp.
At this point in the Altima’s history, quite a bit of time passes where it continuously is revised and redesigned like you would expect of any vehicle, especially one that is up-and-coming. The Altima is Nissan’s flagship sedan but within this time frame, between the 70’s and 2000’s, this is when the Sentra and Maxima made their start.
1st Generation: It wasn’t until 1992 that the Altima officially became the “Altima.” Based on the Nissan Bluebird SSS, the first Nissan Altima generation was produced from 1992-1997.
2nd Generation: The Altima still doesn’t quite look like the best form of itself that is available today, but from 1998-2001 the second generation of Altima sedans began.
3rd Generation: The third generation of the Nissan Altima takes place from 2002-2006. It was at this point the Altima’s interior surpassed the Maxima which bumped it into the full-size, more luxurious bracket. The Altima stayed planted in the midsize segment where it continued to thrive.
4th Generation: The fourth generation (2007-2012) was a big time frame for the Nissan Altima. Its modern looks really began to take hold, while the Altima Coupe made its debut at this time. Also, on the topic of big things, this is when the all-new Altima Hybrid became available, Nissan’s first hybrid.
Read More>>>What killed the Altima coupe?
We now arrive at the fifth generation which we are currently in the midst of. Beginning in 2013, the Nissan Altima is now based on the Nissan Ellure concept car. Just this year, for 2016, it underwent a mild refresh which introduced a brand new front fascia and the option of the SR trim.
The Nissan Altima won’t be going away any time soon, and if you like what you’ve read, then be sure to come by Glendale Nissan and see what it has transformed into today.
