Nissan confirms the end of the Altima after 2026 model year

Nissan is officially preparing to say goodbye to one of its longest-running nameplates, with the Altima set to be discontinued after the 2026 model year.

The decision comes as the automaker reshuffles its lineup and continues shifting its focus away from traditional sedans. Once the Altima leaves production, the Sentra will become Nissan’s only remaining sedan sold in the US following the earlier departures of the Maxima and Versa.

The confirmation came from Nissan Americas’ senior vice president and chief product and planning officer, Ponz Pandikuthira, during an interview with WardsAuto, where he outlined several upcoming changes to the company’s product lineup.

Nissan says the Sentra is now its focus

According to Pandikuthira, the aging Altima is being retired to give the redesigned Sentra more room in the market.

The current generation Altima first debuted eight years ago and had unexpectedly been kept alive for the 2026 model year after Nissan announced it would continue production last December.

Its departure follows several other sedan changes at the company. The Maxima ended production after the 2023 model year, while the Versa was discontinued in the US after 2025, although it remains on sale in other global markets with a newer generation model.

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Pandikuthira also confirmed Nissan has canceled plans for two previously announced electric sedans that were expected to be built in the US. He said the company no longer believes demand is strong enough for the vehicles, adding that lower EV production costs later this decade could change that outlook.

Outside of its sedan lineup, Nissan is also making changes to its SUV range. The Rogue Plug-In Hybrid, which only recently arrived for the 2026 model year, is already being phased out. Pandikuthira described the Mitsubishi Outlander-based model as a temporary solution while Nissan prepares to launch the Rogue E-Power hybrid for the 2027 model year.

The executive also shared new details about the return of the Xterra. Nissan says the revived SUV will use a body-on-frame platform shared with several future Nissan and Infiniti vehicles, including potential two-row and three-row SUVs alongside the Frontier pickup.