Nissan's Future Plans Revealed: New Leaf, Rogue, Sentra and More

• Nissan's plans for the next two years include several new EVs, hybrids and SUVs.
• A brand-new Leaf EV arrives this year, along with an updated Sentra sedan.
• Coming soon, look for a redesigned Rogue SUV and something super interesting: a fully electric Xterra.

The recent news about Nissan hasn't been great. Talks of failed mergers and billions of dollars in debt aren’t exactly ways to drum up excitement for the struggling brand, and the company itself admits it lags behind its competitors in key areas. Nissan's looking to change all of that, though, and the automaker recently brought us to its headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, to show us what's in store for the next two years (and beyond). The goal is to not only strengthen Nissan's position as a global powerhouse but also bring back some of the charm this company used to be known for along the way.

A new Nissan Leaf is coming soon

It all starts with a new Leaf. The brand’s most notable EV nameplate is getting an all-new third-generation model. It’ll feature the brand’s latest design language and a far more aerodynamic exterior and it'll ride higher than before (think Kicks, not Sentra). The new Leaf will also get a NACS charging port so it will be able to use the robust Tesla Supercharger network, and Nissan says its new EV will bring serious improvements in range and efficiency, too.

The new Leaf's interior is designed to cocoon you and make you forget about the outside world. Expect this compact EV to a lot like the Ariya on the inside, but with some genuinely luxurious touches like new textile patterns on the doors and dashboard. All Leaf EVs will have a full glass roof with multiple individual sections that can be tinted to keep the sun’s rays out of the cabin. The new Leaf is expected to debut this summer.

A lot going on for the Rogue

The Rogue, arguably the brand's most important model, is getting several updates for 2026 and a complete overhaul for 2027. The current model will add a plug-in hybrid variant; look to the Rogue's cousin, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, for what's in store. But that's just for one year. In 2027 the Rogue will be reworked with both gasoline and E-Power hybrid engine options available from the get-go, with a Nissan-developed plug-in hybrid version coming later.

Why add the Outlander-based plug-in model for just one model year? Because Nissan wants to prove that it can do hybrids. Gasoline-electric powertrains are an area where Nissan has fallen well behind key competitors like Honda and Toyota. This Mitsu-Nissan hybrid is a stopgap until the company's proprietary plug-in arrives in 2027.

A new Sentra and — wait, did you say Xterra?

Sedan lovers will have something to look forward to: a brand-new Sentra. We got a quick look at a design mock-up of the Sentra while in Japan, and while we don't know much beyond how it looks, we're (nearly) already sold. Longer, lower and wider than before, the new Sentra looks like it's coming directly for the Civic's compact sedan crown. It'll have at least two trims — SV and SR — and the latter will come in bright colors with a blacked-out grille and black roof. Will the Sentra add a hybrid option or get a sleek new interior? We'll know for sure by the end of 2025.

On the SUV front, the three-row Pathfinder will receive an update later this year. But the far more exciting news is the return of a beloved nameplate: Xterra. A fully electric rugged SUV is coming soon wearing the storied Xterra badge, and we can't wait to see what's in store.

Rethinking the business

All of Nissan's updates are possible because of a fundamental change to the way the company operates and builds cars. That's partly thanks to its new CEO, Ivan Espinosa, as well as what Nissan has learned from its recent endeavors in China, a market that's become accustomed to quick turnarounds for new products, where vehicles can be changed or updated at a rapid pace.

Nissan says it used to take 55 months to bring a new product from ideation to production, and the company now aims to do the same work in 37 months (and even less time for face-lifts and midcycle updates). More parts are being shared among cars, which reduces cost and gives Nissan more favorable pricing from suppliers. This is all good news for Nissan. Here's hoping it pays off.