2020 Nissan Almera coming to our region soon

Everything we know so far

Nissan has been making a lot of noise lately. Terra sales are doing well, and the same goes for the Navara. But on the passenger car side, there's a lot of buzz too thanks to the all-new Altima, Sylphy, and Almera. While the Altima and Sylphy might still be a long wait for us, the next-gen Almera is actually now on the horizon.

So what do we know about Nissan's subcompact sedan so far?

According to a reliable source, the 2020 Almera will be built in Nissan's plant in Samut Prakan, Thailand. In fact, it's already been spied there, making rounds in the country. Furthermore, the source added that production will kick off in Thailand later this year, November 2019. Looking at the calendar, it seems like Nissan will debut the car at this year's Thailand Motor Expo, also to be held at that month.

As they will be building the car, Thailand is the most likely to get the all-new Almera before everyone else in the ASEAN region. Malaysia may possibly be next, and the Philippines could eventually follow.

The current-generation Almera is being assembled here as well, and it is unclear if the local factory will transition to the new model. The Almera is Nissan's top-selling passenger car in the country.

Specs? It's still a bit of a mystery at this point. It's unlikely that the region will get the North American market engine as it has a 1.6-liter mill. However, it is possible that the Thai-built Almeras will get a 1.2-liter engine in order to comply with the 'Low Cost Green Car' rules set over there. A 1.5-liter engine is also a possibility. Whether or not it will be a carryover is still up for debate. It is also possible that Nissan will get rid of the current model's four-speed automatic in favor of a continuously variable transmission.

The B-segment, also known as the subcompact class, has been seeing a lot of activity lately. The current market leader, the Toyota Vios, was heavily updated last year. Also, there have been suggestions that the all-new Mirage will be coming soon. At the same time, the Honda City is slated for a full model change as well, meaning the Almera will be facing a fresh set of competitors once it's out in the market.