Nissan Altima
The 1993 Altima marked a turning point for Nissan in the U.S., signaling a deeper investment in American design, engineering, and manufacturing.
Launched in 1992 as a 1993 model, Altima was a U.S.-assembled replacement for the imported Nissan Stanza. It exemplified the company's increasing investment in America:
In the Nissan Heritage Collection a well-preserved "Job One" example can be found, the first production Nissan 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."
Nissan 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."
