Nissan says new Rogue will bow on schedule

TOKYO — Nissan has committed to a fall launch for the next-generation Rogue crossover, even as its U.S. plants are scheduled to remain offline until at least late April in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Nissan planned to show the redesigned Rogue this month at the New York auto show, which has been postponed until August.

The redesigned Rogue, previewed by the Xmotion concept shown at the 2018 Detroit auto show, is a critical vehicle introduction for Nissan as it battles a dearth of fresh product and plummeting sales.

“At this time, our new-model launch programs for the U.S. are on track,” Nissan Motor Co. said in a statement last week. “The all-new Nissan Rogue will be in U.S. showrooms this fall.”

The long-aging crossover was last redesigned in 2013 for the 2014 model year. Despite its age, the Rogue remains Nissan’s bestselling nameplate and the sixth bestselling vehicle in the country. U.S. sales of the Rogue dropped 15 percent to 350,447 in 2019. It was the third bestselling compact crossover last year behind the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

Japan’s Nikkei business daily reported Nissan likely would postpone the Rogue launch because of the pandemic. The paper said production was supposed to start in May at Nissan’s plant in Smyrna, Tenn., but that the current suspension makes it impossible to prepare the factory to launch new models in time.

The new target date for starting production, the Nikkei said, is after summer.