Nissan Altima Coupe Killed

Just the Facts:

• The Nissan Altima Coupe has been discontinued for the 2014 model year, Nissan Americas said on Tuesday.
• "The Altima Coupe was a very low-volume product," Dan Bedore, a Nissan spokesman, told Edmunds.
• Bedore said the discontinuation of the Altima Coupe means that more four-cylinder engines will be available for the 2014 Nissan Altima sedan.

FRANKLIN, Tennessee — The Nissan Altima Coupe has been discontinued for the 2014 model year, Nissan Americas said on Tuesday.

"The Altima Coupe was a very low-volume product," Dan Bedore, a Nissan spokesman, told Edmunds in a phone conversation. "The (2013) Altima Coupe was available with the inline-4 engine only and we're running well into the mid-90 percent range in demand for Altima four-cylinder sedans. Freeing up (engine) capacity for four-cylinder sedans is a better business proposition."

He added: "Coupes in general have a limited life cycle."

Altima Coupe originally was available in V6 and four-cylinder engine variants, but by the 2013 model year was limited to only the four-cylinder model. The 2013 Nissan Altima Coupe is available in just one model, the Altima Coupe 2.5 S CVT, which is equipped with a 175-horsepower 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine.

The Altima was redesigned for the 2013 model year.

Nissan Americas does not disclose Altima coupe versus sedans sales in its monthly reports. But Bedore said the Altima coupe accounted for less than 3 percent of Altima sales.

"It was a fun car and has a strong following among those owners, but it's a limited group of buyers," he noted.

There are still 2013 Nissan Altima Coupes available on dealer lots in the U.S.

Bedore said the discontinuation of the Altima Coupe means that more four-cylinder engines will be available for the 2014 Nissan Altima sedan. The Altima sedan is built at Nissan assembly plants in Canton, Mississippi and Smyrna, Tennessee.

Nissan has not disclosed how much of a boost in volume the death of the Altima Coupe will give to the four-cylinder Altima sedan.

The Honda Accord Coupe is one of the main rivals of the 2013 Nissan Altima Coupe.

Edmunds says: Nissan makes a tough decision in killing off the Altima Coupe, but the upside for consumers is that more four-cylinder Altima sedans will become available.