Nissan held a pre-show cocktail party last night offering journalists an opportunity to see its unveilings before today's press conference. We ran into Pete Haidos, Chief Product Specialist for Altima and Maxima, and he offered a few ideas about the corporate strategy behind the Altima coupe.
"We want to grow the Altima line the healthy way. Derivative vehicles like the coupe and hybrid are better than offering incentives," Haidos said...
What's more, it's clear the changes to the coupe -- shorter wheelbase and overall length -- represent a significant investment. Some manufacturers build coupes on the same wheelbase as their sedans to save money. "We know from experience with the G35 line that this kind of investment pays off because it differentiates the product enough from the sedan that we'll find additional buyers."
If the looks of coupe are any indication, we couldn't agree more. Here are a few new angles of the Altima's new lines.
ateixeira says:
08:26 AM, 11/30/06
I don't like the Bangle hump in the trunk, but the front and profile views look good.
Kudos for distinguishing this from the sedan. 270hp and a 6 speed manual should make it sporty enough, too. I hope it gets a limited slip.
hondacura4 says:
09:40 PM, 11/30/06
I personally think Nissan is shooting Infiniti in the foot. Now that this car is here what makes the new G coupe exclusive? Ill pass!
serspecv1 says:
11:24 PM, 11/30/06
hey, nissan makes infiniti, so why complain about it? they can do whatever they want with the cars, it looks great to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
estreka says:
12:42 AM, 12/ 1/06
I agree with hondacura. A company needs strong differentiation between the normal offerings and the primo stuff. Acuras look dramatically different than their Honda counterparts. Lexus has original styling when compared to Toyota. I'm sure it wont look exactly like the G35, but the Altima is definately closing ground fast.
drjames says:
12:23 AM, 12/ 2/06
Does anyone else see a little too much toyota Solara/Scion TC/Pontiac G6 Coupe in this car?
navigator89 says:
02:33 PM, 12/ 2/06
Looks great. Way better than the Accord coupe and Solara. I see some hints of G6 in the design.
This is not going to eat into G35 coupe sales. One is FWD, the other is RWD with more power. This thing competes with the Accord, Solara and G6. Wouldn't mind seeing a comparison soon.
Rumour has it that the Fusion will get a coupe too, hope that comes soon.
So what's next for the Altima? A convertible would look pretty good.
hondacura4 says:
08:27 PM, 12/ 2/06
Id like to see a comparison of the Accord 6 speed coupe, the G6 GTP and this car. The Altima being "new" and all would have the power/handling advantage but the Accord still hauls major ASS. I have a simular car a 2003 Acura CL-S 6 speed coupe and that car is no slouch!
If only Acura would go RWD and then the Accords performance could be at Acura TL levels without stepping on a RWD TL's toes. Honda are you listening?
barkins says:
10:26 PM, 12/ 3/06
From what I heard and read on numerous sites, the next Honda Accord will have an All-Wheel Drive system, similar to that of the Acura RL. So, perhaps the next-gen Accord coupe will have an AWD system, as opposed to FWD. I doubt they'll ever go to RWD, but I've been wrong before...But I digress, this new Altima coupe looks fantastic. I've always loved the G35 coupe, but never thought spending so much for it justifiable, but now it's a whole new ball game.
estreka says:
09:21 PM, 12/ 5/06
You have a link for that AWD Accord rumor you heard? That would be fantastic.
tonylui says:
11:42 PM, 12/13/06
When i saw Altima Coupe in L.A Autoshow,i have the question,why Altima Coupe feel is same as Infiniti G35 Coupe?In face,when i saw front side;left hand side or right hand side,it have very strong shadow of G35 Coupe.
But if you relatively Honda Accord Coupe ,Pontiac G6 Coupe or Camry Solara,i think Altima Coupe is better than Accord,G6 Coupe and Solara,this is a best choose.