The current Nissan Rogue is nearing the end of its life cycle. For some time now, Nissan has been working on the next edition of the popular SUV; the current schedule calls for it to debut later this year. But with the current crisis hitting all corners of the planet, it’s inevitable that the debut of many new models will be delayed.

For now, that won’t be the case with the Nissan Rogue, however. The Japanese automaker is committed to launching its next-generation SUV as planned in the fall, this even though its North American plants are currently idle until the end of April at least.

“At this time, our new model launch programs for the U.S. are on track. The all-new Nissan Rogue will be in U.S. showrooms this fall,” Nissan said in a statement sent Monday. Didier Marsaud, Director of Public Relations for Canada, confirmed to Automotive News Canada that the situation also applies to our country.

The Rogue is a major vehicle for Nissan, central to its success. With an aging lineup and sales that have been declining for some time now, it is imperative that the company offer fresh new products to consumers, and sooner rather than later.

In Canada last year, the Rogue was Nissan’s best-selling vehicle. However, the 37,530 units it sold represent a drop of 9% in comparison with the previous year. In total, Nissan Canada’s sales fell 8% last year to 160,264 vehicles.

South of the border, Nissan delivered 350,447 Rogues in 2019, which in turn represents a 15% drop when compared to 2018. Despite this, the Rogue remained the brand’s best-selling model, and across the industry, it ranked sixth. That’s not bad for an aging product whose latest redesign dates back to 2014.

The new Rogue is currently scheduled to hit our market before the end of 2020 – provided there is a return to some semblance of normality within the next few weeks. The model is to be assembled at Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee plant.