2019 Nissan Altima gets sketched out for New York

Nissan's Altima is one of the older kids on today's family sedan block, but that's poised to change on March 28. 

The automaker previously confirmed plans to unveil its sixth-generation midsize four-door at the New York Auto Show on that date, and now we have a sketch to whet our appetites. 

At a glance, the 2019 Nissan Altima appears significantly more assertive, thanks largely to a much more prominent V-motion grille that dips well below the bumper line. The headlamps have narrowed and look to have daytime running lamp light pipes that originate from the upper section of the grille and ride along the hood's leading edge. 

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The bodysides also look more sculpted, with an interesting rear side window kick-up that almost gives the design a four-door coupe-like appearance from this front three-quarter vantage.

Of course, this is just a design sketch, and it's typical for such things to feature exaggerated gestures and surfacing, not to mention slicker-than-reality greenhouses and oversized wheels. 

Either way, the new 2019 Nissan Altima appears poised to shed today's overly familiar skin in favor of something sharper, and hopefully, its tech and powertrain performance will follow suit. We hear that the new Altima will gain available all-wheel drive for the first time, a strategy that could make it more palatable to consumers who are increasingly buying crossover SUVs instead of traditional three-box sedans.

We'll know more later this month.