Spy Shots: Nissan Altima coupe
Last week we brought you fuzzy mobile phone shots of the Nissan Altima Coupe. Brenda Priddy pulled out her good lens and took a few shots of a heavily camouflaged Nissan Altima Coupe.To refresh, according to Auto Express magazine, the coupe will be shared with Renault which will call it the Laguna Coupe. It's expected to be powered by the same 3.5-liter V6 as the Altima with around 260 hp. That should give the Laguna a 0-60 mph time of less than seven seconds and a top speed around at least 140 mph. An automatic gearbox is expected to be the most popular choice in shifters. Prices on the Laguna Coupé are being pegged at around £25,000 ($47,400) when it reaches showrooms next year.
[Source: The Car Connection, Auto Express]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sue Esponte 1:23PM (11/21/2006)
Wow, the profile looks like the lovechild that resulted from a G35's intimate evening with an Eclipse.
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Jason 4:15PM (11/21/2006)
Is this the same surprise that is supposed to show up at the LA Auto show next week?
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cb 1:30PM (11/21/2006)
Wait, so this IS coming to the US?
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Corey B. 1:31PM (11/21/2006)
can someone answer me this. Why do they camoflauge cars so heavily sometimes. I remember when I took spy shots of the Honda Fit in 2004 and the driver looked like he wanted to murder me.
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curtis 1:40PM (11/21/2006)
Nissan does a poor job of differentiating there cars from each other. The Sentra, Altima, Maxima, G-series, M-series all look to much alike. The QX and Armada actually are identical, with the Pathfinder and Xterra coming in close behind trying as hard as they can to look like there bigger brother clones. I'm all for family resemblance, but Nissan over does it in my opinion. Heck, I'm not bashing on Nissan, I'd buy just about any one of these. I hope Nissan does a coupe version of the Sentra, I liked the Azeal concept, which clearly spawned the Sentra.
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Scott 1:41PM (11/21/2006)
#3 - Uh, do you really need an answer to that? Taking spy photos is essentially like stealing insider information or company documents. Companies selling products want to keep any and all information confidential until they decide to release it. That really doesn't make sense to you?
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smooth sailin 1:38PM (11/21/2006)
Nice .But too bad it's not as reliable as a FORD FUSION.
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curtis 1:50PM (11/21/2006)
Who would buy this car when they could afford a much cheaper G35 coupe with all the options? That price can't be correct.
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Giggles of Doom 1:58PM (11/21/2006)
I agree, that price is silly and makes no sense. A nearly $50K ALTIMA? No way. Half that would be reasonable.
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felix 2:02PM (11/21/2006)
It's europe guys. Cars cost more there. You can't get a G35 coupe for 35K in euorope.
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Sue Esponte 2:03PM (11/21/2006)
#7 - the price of £25,000 ($47,400) may seem a lot for an Altima coupe, but consider that a 350Z sells for £26,495 in the UK and a would-be G35 would be even more expensive if Nissan sold Infiniti labeled product in the UK.
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GD 2:05PM (11/21/2006)
"Prices on the Laguna Coupé are being pegged at around £25,000 ($47,400) when it reaches showrooms next year."
I dont think the Altima will be that price, it only applies to the one over the pond. But still even at lets say 32K max for the coupe, our friends over there are still paying a crap loud for a rebadged Altima
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jordan 2:19PM (11/21/2006)
Re: curtis, I think that's exactly what Nissan is going for: family resemblance. I think they are betting on having a large target audience like the overall design scheme of their vehicles, and then pick a vehicle based on their personal needs, whether they need a 4-door sedan, a fast sporty coupe, or a truck to haul stuff around in.
Honestly, while I agree that everything looks the same, I think it's a great business decision. It's also a great risk, because they bank on the customer enjoying the look of the vehicle; if a customer dislikes the look of one vehicle in Nissan's lineup, they're probably going to dislike multiple cars for the same reason. I think their risk is minimal because they have become quite popular with their current designs. :)
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UpIrons 2:20PM (11/21/2006)
Really nice, but I hope it comes in better colors than that (just kidding).
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bernie 2:49PM (11/21/2006)
"Nissan does a poor job of differentiating there cars from each other."
So, in music, do you prefer bands like the Beatles and Rolling Stones, who are true to their distinctive style, or the Alan Parsons Project, where every song could be from a different planet? LOL
Of course there's a family resemblance, just like Coke products are recognizable on the shelf as being Coke products! Toyota is trying very hard to build a family resemblance in its larger lineup and having moderate success. I'd venture to say most companies are striving to be more like Nissan in that respect.
These are cars, not oil paintings.
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sean c 10:12AM (12/07/2006)
You guys have already featured actual photos of this car..... Why not just post those?
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araemo 3:51PM (11/21/2006)
My sources say this isn't going to be an 'altima coupe'. Mind you, these are dealership sources, rather than nissan of america sources, but supposedly the altima coupe was axed.
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smooth sailin 8:48PM (11/21/2006)
It looks too much like the Infiniti g35 coupe.If I had bought a g35 I would be disappointed that Nissan is undermining the beauty of that high end car with their own in-house knock-off version.
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Steve 8:53PM (11/21/2006)
FWD 260hp = Monte Carlo SS minus 43hp and it will have the least reliability rating like all Nissans(tourque steer fwd above 250 for all cars even with CVT) .... So all of the crap lovers go buy one! Wait a Mustang V8 for the same Price and a higher reliability rating and even a higher value after four years? Wait I can buy an infinity coupe for $28k on sale.... Or a used BMW 3 series used for the same price..... Get the Idea its a car no one wants........
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CorporateShill 9:23PM (11/21/2006)
Toyota's had so much success with the Solara that Nissan's trying to copy them.
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