- The 1993 Altima marked a turning point for Nissan in the U.S., signaling a deeper investment in American design, engineering, and manufacturing.
- The Altima's enduring popularity over six generations speaks to its timeless design, practical features, and overall value proposition.
Alongside thrilling sports cars, hardy pickup trucks and forward-thinking concepts, the Nissan Heritage Collection is also home to everyday vehicles that played a massive role in Nissan's success. Take, for instance, this 1993 Nissan Altima GLE – the starting point for one of the company's most popular and successful nameplates.
Launched in 1992 as a 1993 model, Altima was a U.S.-assembled replacement for the imported Nissan Stanza1. It exemplified the company's increasing investment in America:
- Styling: Nissan Design International, Inc. (now known as Nissan Design America) in California
- Primary Engineering: Nissan Research & Development, Inc. (now Nissan Technical Center North America) in Michigan
- Manufacturing: Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant in Tennessee
"Job One" production of the 1993 Nissan Altima began on June 11, 1992.
The car seen here is a well-preserved "Job One" example, the first production Altima rolled out in Smyrna. A fully loaded GLE model, it features a head-up display, automatic digital climate control, a sunroof and a six-speaker cassette/CD player audio system. All versions used a 150-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline-4 engine.
"This level of cleanliness is a design and engineering challenge that was a great achievement," said David Woodhouse, vice president of Nissan Design America. "It's a Goldilocks of its time: just enough, not too much; a sweet car, with sensibility just right for a mainstream sedan."
Altima debuted to widespread positive reviews. The New York Times described the suspension as, "of the taut European variety," and opined that the interior was, "one of the better of today's offerings." Car and Driver praised the "excellent arrangement of major controls and instruments," and wrote, "staffers thoroughly enjoyed driving the Altima."
Six generations of success
Altima has remained a core of the Nissan lineup through six generations, the most recent of which was introduced in 2018 at the New York International Auto Show.
Today, the 2024 Nissan Altima delivers an exceptional level of advanced technology, including available 12.3-inch color HD display, Intelligent All-Wheel Drive2, ProPILOT Assist3, standard Nissan Safety Shield® 3604 technologies and fuel economy rated up to 39 mpg highway5.
Proudly assembled in the U.S.
With over 7.2 million produced in the U.S. to date, Altima's role on the company's manufacturing history is undeniable.
Its introduction marked a landmark in the four-decade story of Nissan manufacturing in the U.S. Adding Altima production at Nissan's Smyrna facility, which at the time assembled Sentra and Nissan trucks, helped boost employment to around 6,000 workers by the end of 1992.
Today, Smyrna's capacity is 640,000 vehicles annually, and it remains one of the largest auto manufacturing facilities in the U.S. It's part of a U.S. manufacturing footprint that has collectively supplied nearly 20 million vehicles and a collective 18 million engines and eMotors since 1983.
The first 2019 Nissan Altima (sixth generation) rolled off the assembly line at the Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant in August 2018.
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