The 2016 Nissan Altima will feature some big midcycle updates for both new styling and advanced technology as the midsize sedan segment becomes even more competitive, a Nissan executive has said.

"Midsize is contracting a little, but it's still a two-million-a-year segment. It's extremely important," Pierre Loing, Nissan North America's vice president of product planning, told Automotive News at last week's auto show in Detroit.

"Camry did something very huge. I believe they did that probably because they thought the car was not where they wanted it to be," he said. "I'm not sure we're going to go to that extent. But we're going to do something significant for the Altima for the midcycle."

The 2016 model year could be big for the Altima, which has had enough sales growth in the past two years to come dangerously close to sales posted by Toyota's Camry and Honda's Accord.

Last year, Nissan Altima sales rose 5 percent for 335,644 units sold; in comparison, Accord posted sales of 388,374 vehicles and Camry sold 428,606. Both the Accord and the Camry were beaten by Altima sales in the month of December.

"It is very difficult to grow in the segment because our competitors do a very good job," Loing said. "But we're a strong player and we intend to remain a strong player and grow."

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