Nissan to Discontinue Versa After 2025, Altima Could Disappear a Year Later

• A new report from Automotive News claims the Nissan Versa is not long for this world, and the Altima could disappear soon after.
• AN pegs the Versa's demise at the end of the 2025 calendar year.
• The Versa is one of the only subcompact cars still available.
• There are reportedly no plans for a next-gen Altima, but don't count it out just yet.

As a budget-priced subcompact, the Versa has served as the gateway to the Nissan brand since its debut for the 2007 model year (members of a certain generation might recall their first exposure to the vehicle by way of blatant product placement in the first season of the television show Heroes). So focused was Nissan on making its entry-level car affordable, that just two years after launch, the automaker quickly released a less powerful, de-contented version that snuck in below $10,000 (before the necessary destination charge, but still noteworthy).

Nissan's smallest offering was available in sedan and hatchback forms for its first generation. The second-gen Versa was sold as a sedan, with the hatchback spun off as its own nameplate — the Versa Note. The current model bowed for the 2020 model year as a sedan only.

While none of the recent vehicles in the subcompact category were truly awe-inspiring, the Versa was at least competitive, and it stayed in the game longer than rivals like the Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Chevrolet Spark and Honda Fit. If the report is accurate and the Versa does exit the marketplace, the next most affordable Nissan is the Sentra, which is expected to survive. Today's introductory Sentra is roughly $4,500 more than the base Versa.

While the Versa's departure is understandable given the exodus of subcompacts over the last few years, the report of the Altima's potential demise is surprising. The Altima has been a staple of the midsize category for decades, and while family sedans aren't as popular as they once were, buyers continue to scoop up the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata by the hundreds of thousands. These four-doors have weathered the SUV storm by constantly innovating — particularly by introducing hybrid powertrains — but the Altima doesn't offer anything in the way of electrification. Though the Altima has strengths on its own, its rivals have many of the same upsides and go further with luxurious materials, a more comfortable ride, and features you can't get on the Altima. Unless you put an overriding premium on the Altima's available ProPilot Assist driving system (its adaptive cruise function is superior to that of competing sedans), or can get a screaming deal on one, you should take a look at the alternatives in this segment. The AN report is less conclusive on the Altima's potential demise, but it's clear that if the nameplate is to survive attached to a sedan, a hybrid will be a necessity.

Edmunds says

We're disheartened to see another pair of sedans on the chopping block, but the reality is Nissan hasn't done a good job keeping the Versa and Altima relevant. That said, we hope the Altima can weather the storm and return for a (much more competitive) seventh generation.