Nissan is Readying a Slew of New Products to Boost Sales and Profitability

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Nissan sales have languished in recent times, but the automaker has a turnaround plan that leans on improved products that will debut over the next several months. Automotive News obtained information from a recent Nissan dealer meeting that includes outlines for an updated Murano, Rogue, Armada, and more.


The long-running Murano will enter a new generation, gaining more luxury and an updated platform. It will lose the annoying continuously variable transmission in favor of a nine-speed automatic, a move that made the Pathfinder infinitely better to drive a couple of years ago. The crossover will also get a new front end and sportier proportions, though the plan is to make the Murano more luxurious than performance-oriented.


The Rogue gains a new Rock Creek Edition with a slight lift, beefier tires, and a roof rack, similar to the upgrades Nissan gave the Pathfinder that wears the nameplate. A dealer told Automotive News, “It’s a great move because we need a masculine kind of product. But it’s a populated segment for us with all of the configurations the Rogue already has.”


Nissan also detailed plans for partnerships with Mitsubishi and Honda, which will yield accelerated development of new powertrain tech. The automaker will expand its hybrid and plug-in hybrid offerings later in the decade, with new electrified models coming to supplement its currently gas-heavy catalog.


Though the Japanese automaker’s prospects haven’t looked bright, it believes the product push and an increased focus on its marketing campaigns paint a rosier picture of the future. The changes can’t come soon enough for dealers, who have struggled with sales and profitability selling Nissan vehicles.


[Image: Jonathon Weiss via Shutterstock]


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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • JLGOLDEN JLGOLDEN on Apr 26, 2024

    I disagree with the author's comment on the current Murano's "annoying CVT". Murano's CVT does not fake shifts like some CVTs attempt, therefore does not cause shift shock or driveline harshness while fumbling between set ratios. Murano's CVT feels genuinely smooth and lets the (great-sounding V6) engine sing and zing along pleasantly.

  • NJRide NJRide on Apr 27, 2024

    Any new Infinitis in these plans? I feel like they might as well replace the QX50 with a Murano upgrade

  • TheEndlessEnigma I would mandate the elimination of all autonomous driving tech in automobiles. And specifically for GM....sorry....gm....I would mandate On Star be offered as an option only.Not quite the question you asked but.....you asked.
  • MaintenanceCosts There's not a lot of meat to this (or to an argument in the opposite direction) without some data comparing the respective frequency of "good" activations that prevent a collision and false alarms. The studies I see show between 25% and 40% reduction in rear-end crashes where AEB is installed, so we have one side of that equation, but there doesn't seem to be much if any data out there on the frequency of false activations, especially false activations that cause a collision.
  • Zerocred Automatic emergency braking scared the hell out of me. I was coming up on a line of stopped cars that the Jeep (Grand Cherokee) thought was too fast and it blared out an incredibly loud warbling sound while applying the brakes. I had the car under control and wasn’t in danger of hitting anything. It was one of those ‘wtf just happened’ moments.I like adaptive cruise control, the backup camera and the warning about approaching emergency vehicles. I’m ambivalent  about rear cross traffic alert and all the different tones if it thinks I’m too close to anything. I turned off lane keep assist, auto start-stop, emergency backup stop. The Jeep also has automatic parking (parallel and back in), which I’ve never used.
  • MaintenanceCosts Mandatory speed limiters.Flame away - I'm well aware this is the most unpopular opinion on the internet - but the overwhelming majority of the driving population has not proven itself even close to capable of managing unlimited vehicles, and it's time to start dealing with it.Three important mitigations have to be in place:(1) They give 10 mph grace on non-limited-access roads and 15-20 on limited-access roads. The goal is not exact compliance but stopping extreme speeding.(2) They work entirely locally, except for downloading speed limit data for large map segments (too large to identify with any precision where the driver is). Neither location nor speed data is ever uploaded.(3) They don't enforce on private property, only on public roadways. Race your track cars to your heart's content.
  • GIJOOOE Anyone who thinks that sleazbag used car dealers no longer exist in America has obviously never been in the military. Doesn’t matter what branch nor assigned duty station, just drive within a few miles of a military base and you’ll see more sleazbags selling used cars than you can imagine. So glad I never fell for their scams, but there are literally tens of thousands of soldiers/sailors/Marines/airmen who have been sold a pos car on a 25% interest rate.
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