If you're not quite sure what year it is, don't look to a dealership's new-car stock for help. Right now, if you walked to a local lot, you'd probably find a fair amount of 2016s on display, but soon, you'll also see 2017s. In an effort to get ahead of the crowd and boost its sales, Nissan plans on accelerating its new-car rollout more than it currently is. This is...a mixed bag.
Speaking to Automotive News, Nissan North America chairman Jose Munoz said that his company is missing out by releasing new models too late into the year. "The additional opportunity we have is to make sure we launch the model years at the right time," he said. "Our guys are doing a tremendous job. They just need to ensure that they do it at an earlier time."
Apparently, the dealers were the ones pushing the mothership to make this happen, because other automakers have started ramping up their production schedules, as well. This is good, because as a business, Nissan needs to be competitive, and waiting until halfway through 2016 to release new models (like the Sentra and Altima pictured here) is not the wisest decision.
But it's also a case of keeping up with the Joneses that has no discernible end point. 2016 was barely in existence when automakers started rolling out 2017s at this year's Detroit auto show, and while some are still months away from release, others are arriving as soon as late spring or early summer.
At this rate, by the time the 2018 Detroit auto show kicks into high gear, we'll be learning about 2022 models, which will debut six hours after the show concludes.
