Future products: Leaf EV is just the start of Nissan lineup overhaul

The next 18 to 24 months will bring a major renewal of Nissan Division's lineup.

In the coming weeks, the brand will see four new products released or revealed: the Juke crossover, electric Leaf sedan, redesigned Quest minivan and an ambitious but perhaps polarizing convertible Murano crossover.

Late next year, Nissan will begin showing a string of restyled high-volume car lines, including the Altima and Versa.

Leaf: One of the most talked-about new products in Nissan Motor Co.'s history will debut in five U.S. markets in December. The battery-powered Leaf will roll out to most U.S. markets during the first half of 2011, depending on the readiness of the consumer and local government infrastructure to handle battery charging.

The Leaf is a five-passenger sedan, close in dimensions to the Altima. The car's lithium ion battery pack and 80-kilowatt electric motor promise up to 100 miles per full charge. Nissan dealers are requiring customers to install home charging units before arranging for delivery.

Nissan is already alluding to future Leaf changes. The first model will be imported. The car goes into production in Tennessee in late 2012 along with locally made battery packs that Nissan is referring to as "next-generation batteries."

Versa: A redesign is planned for the 2013 model year, when the Versa, built in Mexico, becomes part of a new global V small-car platform. That flexible platform also yields the subcompact Micra, not slated for U.S. sale, and other models.

The platform changes do not give any indication of how the next-generation Versa will look or perform. But the V platform is intended to bring down costs and create more opportunity for model variations.

Sentra: No major changes are planned for next year.

Cube: The Cube continues largely unchanged for the next several years.

Altima: Nissan is scheduled to re-engineer the Altima for the 2013 model year with an eye toward both horsepower and fuel economy gains. The Altima is Nissan's biggest-volume product.

The Altima hybrid, which has been limited in distribution to nine states, will be changed significantly for the 2013 model year. The model currently relies on a nickel-metal hydride battery electrical system supplied by competitor Toyota Motor Corp. But Nissan has been developing an in-house hybrid system using a lithium ion battery--the technology that also powers the Leaf. The automaker's first hybrid car using its in-house system will be an Infiniti M, which bows in 2011.

Maxima: The Maxima is due for a freshening for the 2012 model year.

370Z: The Z will remain virtually unchanged for the 2011 model year. A freshening will occur in the 2012 model year, with minor changes to the Roadster Z a year later.

GT-R: Nissan has reduced GT-R options to a single, fully equipped model for the 2011 model: the GT-R Premium. The car is due for a freshening for the 2012 model year. Spy photos indicate the addition of a rear spoiler and new grille to go with a boost in the horsepower of its 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V6.

Rogue: The crossover receives a freshening for the 2011 model year, with new grille, fascias, side molding, instrument panel and interior materials and features.

Juke: A small crossover built on Nissan's global B platform--the Juke Sport Cross--is new for the 2011 model year and will reach dealer showrooms next month. Standard on the car is Nissan's first U.S. application of a 1.6-liter, direct-injection gasoline turbo engine--a 16-valve, four-cylinder powerplant that puts out 188 hp and 177 pounds-feet of torque.

Originally, the Juke was planned for Europe only. The styling is aggressively sporty, with bulging rear curves, a high beltline and sloping roof. It features standard 17-inch wheels and hidden rear door handles. The price starts at $19,710, including shipping.

Murano: The 2011 Murano receives a freshening, including new front grille, bumper and taillights.

Murano CrossCabriolet: The mid-sized Murano CrossCabriolet, a new offering for the 2011 model year, is certain to stand out in the segment as a drop-top crossover. The convertible will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November and go on sale early next year.

Brian Carolin, head of sales and marketing for Nissan North America, says the vehicle is not intended as a volume product but more of a brand attention-getter, demonstrating Nissan's willingness to introduce innovative design ideas.

Xterra: For the 2011 model year, the Xterra SE model has been eliminated and the Off-Road model renamed the Xterra PRO-4X. That model, along with the X and S packages, continues largely unchanged.

Despite a waning market for truck-based SUVs in general, Nissan intends to continue with its popular, decade-old Xterra in future years. Until this year, the company had planned to discontinue the two-wheel-drive version, but the model will survive.

Pathfinder, Armada: Rampant speculation aside, Nissan says it has no intention of discontinuing either of its large SUVs: the mainly V6-powered, mid-sized Pathfinder or the full-sized V8 Armada. Both trucks are based on the Titan's F-Alpha platform, and both will be redesigned as part of the new-generation Titan project for the 2013 model year or a year later.

Frontier: Changes for the 2011 model year are limited to content and price options. The truck is slated to be restyled for the 2012 model year.

Titan: Nissan still has not determined in what model year its redesigned, full-sized Titan pickup will appear, but it is likely to occur after the 2012 model year.

The automaker found itself scrambling last year when Chrysler Group backed out of a plan to produce the Titan in Mexico starting in 2011, basing the truck on the Dodge Ram. That setback sent Nissan designers, engineers and planners back to their CAD/CAMs to create a new generation to be produced at Nissan's Canton, Miss., plant.

Engine options on the Titan will be a key issue, since the current product offers only a 5.6-liter V8. Nissan is considering adding a diesel engine as well as other V8 variations.

Nissan will try again on minivans when the Quest, shown, is reborn early next year.

Quest: Nissan will try again in minivans with a redesigned Quest, even as some automakers lose interest in the deflated segment. The Quest will be reborn early next year as a 2011 model after slipping from the market last year. This time, Nissan is offering a made-in-Japan product, with more of a wagon look than the previous rounded styling.

The new Quest shares a platform with the Japan-market Elgrand but offers more width and horsepower. Sneak peeks of the model reveal a flat roof and squared-off back end, suggestive of the Ford Flex or Mitsubishi Outlander. The cockpit contains wood trim and more pronounced instrument gauges and navigation display.

Small van: Nissan will bring its smaller commercial van, the NV200, to the United States for the 2013 model year. The NV200, at 173.2 inches long and 66.7 inches wide, is smaller dimensionally than a Sentra sedan and is built on a modified version of Nissan's global front-wheel-drive B platform.

The vehicle will be available in either a cargo configuration or seven-passenger family version. The body comes with either sliding or hinged front-opening side doors.

Nissan has provided little information about the van's U.S. entry date or production source. The NV200 has been rolling out globally over the past year, launching in China this summer. The European version, which launched a year ago, carries a four-cylinder engine. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has hinted at a battery-electric NV200.

Full-sized van: The first of Nissan's light commercial vehicles, the NV full-sized van, will reach showrooms in mid-2011 as a 2012 model. The rear-wheel-drive NV, intended to chip into a market dominated almost entirely by older General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. vans, will come in three versions: the NV1500 with a 4.0-liter V6, NV3500 with a 5.6-liter V8 and NV2500 with either the V6 or V8.

The NV2500 and NV3500 will offer a choice of a standard roof or a high roof that allows users to stand in the cargo area.

Because of the vans' size and weight and the nature of sales, service and outfitting practices in the commercial truck segment, not all Nissan retailers have elected to sell the NV line.

By Lindsay Chappell- Automotive News