Nissan and its Infiniti luxury marque plan a blitz of 10 new or revamped models for the American and Canadian markets by 2027, the companies announced yesterday. We’ve seen the four planned for Infiniti before. But the Nissan brand will get six of its own. The company yesterday revealed a few details on what to expect. Plans include a third-generation Leaf, hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Rogue SUVs, and an electric off-roader to be named later (yes, we know what you want to name it).
Nissan has had a challenging year. Last month, it rejected a plan to escape fiscal danger by merging with rival Honda. The company also selected a new CEO earlier this month.
Merger with another company may still be on the table. But, at an event in Japan to discuss plans, executives sounded prepared to go forward without a partner. The recovery plan hinges on a slate of new hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs).
2026 Nissan Leaf
Nissan showed most of the promised models only as silhouettes, but it provided a full glimpse of one: the 2026 Nissan Leaf.
The Leaf is the original modern-day EV, pre-dating even the Tesla Model S on American roads. But the model on sale today is an aging design, and it’s likely no one ever bought a Leaf for its looks.
That could change with the 2026 version. The third-generation Leaf will be sleek and curvy, with crossover-like proportions and an unmistakable family resemblance to today’s Nissan Ariya. KBB Executive Editor Brian Moody has seen it in person. He notes that it now shares a platform with the Ariya, “which makes it a little bit more family, friendly, and probably more useful to most of the world.”
Today’s Leaf is also stuck with a charging port, called CHAdeMO, that is just the third-most-common on public chargers and fading from the market. The 2026 Leaf will use a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector, allowing buyers to plug in nearly anywhere.
Moody notes, “they included lots of Easter eggs, like an electronic dimming panoramic sunroof that animates as it goes from Clear to opaque.”
Those are nearly the only details Nissan has announced so far for the next Leaf (though they did promise 19-inch wheels and a moonroof). But they may be enough to get the Leaf firmly back into the EV conversation.
All-New Rogue With Hybrid Options
Nissan’s best-selling product is its Rogue compact SUV. In 2026, the company will start producing an all-new, fourth-generation Rogue.
The Rogue on dealer lots today is available only as a gas-powered model, using a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine. Nissan plans to offer a PHEV version later this year, likely using technology borrowed from the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
But that approach appears to be a stop-gap measure meant to get a hybrid to customers as quickly as possible. Nissan says the next-generation Rogue will be offered as a gas-powered model, a hybrid, or a PHEV.
New Sentra, “Adventure-Focused SUV”
Other updates include a new Sentra, which could be Nissan’s only sedan to survive a planned culling, and a refresh of the Pathfinder midsize SUV.
In late 2027, the company says “An all-new Nissan EV is scheduled to commence production at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi, plant in the U.S. The all-new model will be an adventure-focused SUV.”
The company hasn’t named the model, but the internet has. Nissan has produced a handful of cars with dedicated fanbases over its history. The one that is obviously missing from its modern lineup is the Xterra, an off-roader sold from the 2000 to 2015 model years.
The promised EV has an Xterra-like silhouette, giving new life to rumors that the Xterra will come back in EV form.