America's fifth-largest car company slammed for 'hideous' sporty mom vehicle
A family-moving SUV just got a performance makeover. The internet doesn't appear sold.
Nissan is rolling out a sport-tuned version of its high-rolling, three-row Armada SUV, a near-luxury set of wheels that already starts at $60,000.
The new trim is called the Armada Nismo — it's set to hit dealerships lots this fall.
It's also hugely important for an automaker that recently posted flagging sales and a CEO change.
The standard Armada got a full redesign for this year, swapping its aging V8 engine for a more efficient and powerful V6.
The style reboot features a boxier look with width-spanning LED taillights, extra chrome, and a plush seven- or eight-seat interior.
Now, Nissan is cranking up the attitude. The Nismo trim adds red interior and exterior accents, reworked lower body panels, and a squatter stance.
Under the hood, the Nismo gets a 35-horsepower bump and tweaked valves that deepen the exhaust sounds — but only if you spring for premium fuel.
'Armada NISMO expands the Armada family to connect with drivers who share a passion for excitement, performance, and bold, sports-inspired design,' a product spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
Still, some car buyers aren't convinced.
'Marketing and research must be making up numbers,' a Redditor chimed about the design. 'Who is going to buy this?
Another added: 'That grill is hideous.'
While Nissan hasn't revealed pricing yet, current Armada trims range from $59,000 to $82,000.
That positions the Nismo squarely in the territory of premium family SUVs — a growing, lucrative market segment in the US, where large vehicles continue to dominate new car sales.
But the launch comes at a tricky time for the automaker.
Nissan has faced shrinking profits, leadership shakeups, and ongoing headwinds from President Donald Trump's 25 percent automotive tariffs — a policy that affects models like the Japan-produced Armada.
The Nismo's sporty vibe continues into the big car's interior, with red quilted seats in all three rows
The V6 engine is smaller than last year's outgoing V8 - but it still delivers more horses
Nissan has been in big trouble for months.
In November, executives at the company warned the automaker only had '12 months' of cash on hand to survive.
Its financial position comes after turmoil in the C-suite.
Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO who helped revive the company in the 2000s, was arrested in 2018 by authorities in Tokyo.
They believed the executive misused company assets.
Ghosn was flown out of the country in a plane's cargo in 2019. He has remained in Lebanon since.
In his absence, the company had an aging portfolio with old transmission technology. The cars were built at dozens of factories around the world, leaving the company extremely susceptible to global onshoring trends.
A leadership vacuum appeared at the company after his legal turmoils.
Makoto Uchida, a Japanese executive, took over, but was ousted after six years. Ivan Espinosa took over as top boss earlier this year.
Despite selling the fifth-most cars in the US last year, Moody's, a credit agency, downranked Nissan to 'junk' status earlier this year.
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