NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: 2013 Nissan Altima breaks cover

America's second-most popular medium car, the Altima, has been revealed in New York -- and it's coming to Australian dealerships in the second half of 2013 as a direct rival to the Toyota Camry.

The new car will make its debut in Australia in early 2013 as a real-wheel drive V8 Supercar, powered by a Nissan Patrol-sourced V8, followed by the launch of the road-going car later in the year.

The front-wheel drive vehicle will be powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder developing 135kW/250Nm and will boast lane-change assist technology, Google maps integration and more. A 3.5-litre V6 engine rated at 201kW/350Nm could also be available.

But do Australians want an American car?

"In my mind absolutely," says Ian Moreillon from New York, general manager of national sales and fleet for Nissan Australia. "The Altima first of all gives us the opportunity to bring a car into the segment of the market in which we currently do not compete. That's the medium car segment. It'll go head to head with the likes of [Toyota] Camry, [Mazda] Mazda6, [Hyundai] i45 and [Honda] Accord Euro. It's a car that will be another string to our bow."

Likely to be paired to a CVT transmission, Moreillon said it was too early to say what specifications the car will be offered with.

"What final spec we get is still being finalised. We are genuinely still working through the spec, the costing of the car etc. They'll come out as a future announcement."

Moreillon said he had "no idea" on pricing, but said that "it'll be competitive".

In the USA last year, the superceded Nissan Altima sold some 268,000 units, about 30,000 behind the Toyota Camry. However, selling tens of thousands of Altimas every year is unlikely in Australia, with Nissan settling for between 500 to 600 cars per month -- an ambitious prediction for a car that's never been sold here.

"Nothing wrong with being ambitious," added Moreillon, who said the target was "very possible, very achievable".

As to where Australian-destined right-hand drive Altimas will be sourced, that is still to be decided: likely to be either Thailand or America.

"Where we get it from is still to be determined, " explained Moreillon. "It will be based on global balancing of production volumes and capacities. It's a vehicle designed in the USA, but for both right and left-hand drive to suit a global market. Whether we get it from somewhere other than the USA or the USA is yet to be determined."

And what does the Altima mean for Maxima?  Nissan says there's room for both in Australia.

"At the moment there's a place for both cars [Maxima and Altima]. It's still fits a demographic. It's still in our product plan. How long it goes forward depends on the life cycle of that Maxima, " opined Moreillon. "Maxima is above the Altima in segment, but look, they're totally different offerings."