[Editor's
Note: As you can see, our predictive sketch was quite close to the
final production model. Check out our full
report on the new Altima.]
The early 90s…Nissan was on a roller coaster ride -
the company had an enviable stock of sporty cars; the venerable 300ZX,
acquirable 240SX, and the easy attainable Sentra SE-R. Even the third generation Maxima was called a "4-door Sports Sedan" by Nissan. The weakness in their lineup? One of the most glaring problems with the Stanza. It was automobile that stood out as plain
mediocre. It had Maxima-like cues but just looked uninspiring inside and out. Nissan planners must have known the failure of the Stanza could doom the company since the four door sedan market was a major piece of the North American automotive pie. The Maxima would easily hold up the upper end of the market. The Sentra was a well built econo-sedan. But the Stanza could not compete against the likes of the Accord and 4-cylinder Camry.
What was Nissan to do? Enter Jerry Hirshberg and his crew of renegade car designers at Nissan Design International in La Jolla, California. Hirshberg and company had previously designed the first gen Pathfinder, Pulsar NX, and more recently at the time, the controversial Infiniti J30.
What Nissan needed was controversy…in the form of a new mid-market sedan. Thus, the Altima was born as a genetic if not inspirational offspring of the J30. While the J30 had exaggerated curves, the Altima was a bit more restrained and could appeal to more people than the
"love it or hate it" shape of the J30.
Throw in a class leading 150 horsepower inline-4 engine, four wheel independent suspension with passive rear steering,
fake wood on the dash, chrome door handles, and even automatic climate control plus heads up displays on upscale GLE models. Unlike it's Stanza predecessor, the Altima had customers flocking to the showroom because of it's Infiniti-like curves and build quality.
However as the mid-90s rolled around, Nissan started feeling the financial pinch and started de-contenting the Altima. Gone were the expensive velour seats, dash mounted clock, interior chrome door handles,
automatic climate control, and other small details that added up.
All done in the name of reducing parts thus reducing costs. The Altima started becoming just another sedan even after the highly
publicized debut of a second generation model in 1998. There was really nothing special or extraordinary about the Altima anymore. The Accord moved up in size and
now had similar horsepower. New competitors came on the radar such as the much improved
Mitsubishi Galant. The Altima, fortunately for Nissan, continued to sell in decent numbers on the mystique of the first few years and
as word of good reliability spread.
As the 90s came to a close, we find that Nissan has had to find a global partner in
Renault in order to survive. While the marriage received it's share of controversy and predictions of failure,
it has produced mostly positive results due to drastic cost cutting.
Along with high profile Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn, came other Renault executives responsible for helping the French company turn
around in the early 90s. Patrick Pelata is a name most Nissan
enthusiasts won't recognize but he maybe the most important man
after Ghosn in making Nissan cars appealing and desirable again.
Pelata's official title is Executive VP of Product Planning and
Strategy making him the "car guy" responsible for
re-establishing Nissan cars the new benchmark for performance and features.
Various Nissan insiders have told us that a lot of hopes are riding on
the third generation Altima. No wonder, with Volkswagen eating into
sedan sales that were once the territory of the Japanese. We have faith
that Nissan's execs, Ghosn, Pelata, Shiro Nakamura (Nissan's global
chief designer), and Hirshberg (now
retired) knew they needed to make a "Total Knockout"
(hence the Altima project's code name).
According to sources, the sketches above are fairly accurate but not
exact - however they do "capture the spirit" according to one insider.
Once again Nissan Design International, headed by Jerry Hirshberg
until this past summer, designed this Altima. Expect an Audi-like profile along with a very aggressive
front fascia sporting Lexus GS-like headlamps. Expect a very
definitive C-pillar and door (like the first gen Altima and Maximas).
Okay now that you've read this far, it's time for the juice! The biggest news (no pun intended) is
that the new Altima will indeed be larger and actually more spacious
than the current Maxima! The new Altima will share it's platform
with a new even larger Maxima due out in 2004-2005. The new Maxima
will be based on stretched wheelbase of the same platform. The new Altima will have class leading horsepower in both 4
cylinder and V-6 trim. Expect a new QR series engine to replace
the old KA24DE. The new QR should pump out over 175 hp - good enough
to smoke similarly priced Camrys and Accords. The big news is the
V-6 option finally in the form of a VQ 3.0L (possibly 3.2L) engine good for over
240 hp. That's not a typo...yes two hundred forty horsepower - more
than the 227 hp Maxima!
And remember that you read it here first again; the new Altima will
have an independent rear suspension and not the multi-link beam a.k.a. twist
beam suspension (like current Nissan sedans). What kind of rear suspension? How about a true rear multi-link suspension much
like the ones found on Nissan's Japanese market sports cars. On SE
models, expect the usual stiffer suspension setup, a 17" alloy
wheel/tire upgrade, and VLSD (Viscous Limited Slip Differential) on
manual transmission models.
As for the interior, prepare to be pleasantly surprised with one of
the best looking cabins in the business. Because of the aforementioned
touches, the first gen Altima's
interior had people talking. The second gen interior was lack luster
at best. Pelata has always said that Nissan needs to beat
Volkswagen/Audi in the realm of interior quality. Thus the Altima
will lead the way for other Nissan cars. That means soft-touch
interior dash plastics, tactile and solid feeling controls and
buttons, and superior ergonomics. As for amenities and features,
expect power windows, door locks, one touch sun roof, keyless entry,
rear sun shade, and a CD stereo system.
Nissan began the process of re-inventing itself with the new
Sentra and Maxima which are definite improvements over their predecessors
- evolutionary progress.
But if you want a revolution, look to the new 2002 Altima.
Stay tuned to FreshAlloy.com for the latest information on the new
Altima and Nissan news.
