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The rugged Nissan Xterra will not live long enough to see its next generation according to the latest reports from Ward’s Auto. One of the few remaining SUVs that has stayed true to its body-on-frame design, the Xterra faces slumping sales and a substantial threat from looming federal fuel economy regulations.

Recent sales of the Xterra have fallen sharply compared to its heyday a decade ago. Back in 2000, Nissan sold 88,578 Xterras, which is a far cry from the 12,186 units Nissan has sold this year through the month of July.

Columnist Jonathan Welsh answers readers' questions about automobiles, and in this case a reader asks about the skid plates:

Q: I have a 1992 Nissan Pathfinder with rugged skid plates protecting the underside of the car. New high-clearance SUVs like the Toyota 4Runner and Nissan Xterra don't seem to offer real skid plates. The skid plates on the new 2010 Xterra Off Road seem thin and weak. If I get one of these two vehicles, should I consider putting on tougher after-market skid plates?

—Richard Scully, Lyons, Colo.

Most of the consumer vehicles sold in the United States fall into the multipurpose, mid-market category represented by the Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Ford Taurus and so on: sensible, reliable, affordable cars meeting most needs of their many buyers.

But there are niche vehicles outside this realm designed to meet the specific needs or wants of more demanding buyers. Take as examples the three cars and one truck we tested recently; they didn’t meet our needs but might be exactly what another driver is looking for.

Nissan outpaced most of its competitors in November, posting a U.S. sales increase of 21 percent compared with the same month last year, with major gains in its Altima car and Frontier pickup leading the way.

Of the major U.S. and Asian automakers, Franklin-based Nissan North America Inc. had the second-best percentage increase for the month, tallying sales of 56,288 vehicles in November versus 46,605 a year ago. The total included Nissan and its Infiniti luxury brand.

If you’re in the market for a true offroad vehicle, the pickings are slim since the advent of crossover vehicles.

Crossover’s have been pasteurized, homogenized and softened to the point that they’re merely AWD station wagons with an SUV appearance. The number of true offroaders have dwindled to a handful. The choice boils down to the likes of a Jeep Wrangler, Hummer H3, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Toyota Land Cruiser, pricey Land Rover Range Rover Sport and Nissan five-seat Xterra, the latter a reasonably priced ute that is rugged and designed with the adventuresome in mind.