When it comes to driving in the U.S., does bigger mean better? In 2022, SUVs outsold cars and trucks in the domestic market — some of which is inspired by drivers guided by the thought that driving a bigger vehicle means driving a safer vehicle. One of the side effects of that trend has involved a dwindling number of smaller, less expensive vehicles being made available to buyers in the U.S. — with only one option currently available for buyers looking to spend under $20,000.
And, if recent reports in the automotive press are to be believed, the affordable car market in the U.S. is about to get a little smaller. An article in Motor1 states that Nissan is set to phase out the Altima and Versa after 2025. Citing “a future product timeline from Automotive News,” Motor1’s Christopher Smith also noted that the same document shows that Nissan has an electric sedan in the works for 2026.
Smith’s analysis of the sales figured revealed that fewer than 15,000 Versas sold in 2022, while the Altima was one of the automaker’s two top-selling vehicles that same year. For their part, Nissan didn’t confirm or deny the speculation.
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By aiming squarely for the middle, the all-new version of the long-running Japanese coupe makes a compelling caseThe dwindling number of smaller, more affordable car appears to be an ongoing trend in the U.S. market. (See also: the discontinuing of the Honda Fit in the the U.S. a few years ago.) But for anyone worried about the growing size of cars on the road, the slow phasing out of smaller models is cause for alarm.
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