- Nissan’s Altima SR VC Turbo will be missing from the sedan’s 2025 lineup, a source claims.
- The high-performance sedan was the only Altima to use a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine instead of a naturally aspirated 2.5 motor.
- Nissan will reportedly axe the entire Altima line after 2026, though the automaker hasn’t yet confirmed the decision.
Nissan’s long-running Altima nameplate has just two seasons left in the tank if recent reports are to be believed, but now new intel claims the least dull member of the lineup is being killed off before the credits roll.
According to one of our inside sources, the high-performance SR VC Turbo Altima will not be part of Nissan’s upcoming announcement of the mid-size sedan’s specifications and prices for the 2025 model year in the coming weeks.
Related: Nissan Might Axe Altima And Versa Sedans Soon
The SR VC Turbo was the only Altima not to use a 188 hp (191 PS) 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated four, Nissan instead giving it a 2.0-liter turbo four with a more appealing 248 hp (252 PS). That might not sound like many horses for a performance-themed hero model, but it was enough to drop the zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) time from just under 8 seconds, to below six, according to independent tests.
While it’s a shame to hear about the VC’s demise, our tipster says that Nissan has added some improvements to the rest of the lineup, including a new SV Special Edition package that adds gloss black wheels and various items from the existing SV premium package.
The surviving non-turbo SR is also set to get a new 19-inch bronze wheel option, the SR premium package will include a dual-zone climate, and the Altima S will graduate to an 8-inch media screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto instead of the 7-inch display fitted to 2024 models.
The remaining intel concerns new colors, including Tactical Green, which will be only available on the SR with bronze wheels, and absent colors, such as Deep Blue Pearl and Brilliant Silver.
We asked Nissan when we could expect to see an official release about the 2025 Altima spec and whether they could confirm the accuracy of our tip info, but the company told us it couldn’t comment on future products.
Come the end of the 2026 model year, the Altima won’t have any future to comment on anyway. Though Nissan hasn’t confirmed it’s axing the Altima after three decades of loyal service, reports say the automaker is mostly stepping away from the sedan market in North America and will drop both the Altima and its affordable Versa. The Sentra will, however, escape the cull.