The current Nissan Frontier has been around since approximately the dawn of time and is arguably the last holdout from back when compact trucks were actually, you know, compact.

America’s thirst for space and power, combined with manufacturer’s thirst for more profits, have effectively driven the true compact truck off the road and into the ditch. Chevy waved a wand over the S10 a few years ago to create the larger Colorado which grew again after its last revamp. The returning Ford Ranger wears a jacket several sizes larger than its predecessor. And anyone comparing a four-door Tacoma to a Toyota pickup from the ‘80s may struggle to understand the two machines are from the same manufacturer.

READ MORE: 2018 Nissan Frontier Gets a Little More Expensive, Still the Cheapest Truck in the US

It’s very likely, then, that the next Frontier – whenever it arrives – will be more in the visage of today’s “mid-sizers” and cast a bigger shadow than it does in its current guise. Sure, customers can spec a Crew Cab Frontier 4×4 but at nearly thirty-five large for the Midnight Edition, the much more modern Colorado LT Crew Cab 4WD starts to look pretty appealing.

When exactly this new small truck from Nissan will appear is still a mystery, but the brand has confirmed that it is coming, and it will be built in Canton, MS. But why has it taken so long for the brand to replace the Frontier?

Start digging into the numbers, and one can quickly understand the company’s reluctance tosplaying out the cash for developing a new Frontier. Sales are healthy, with 74,360 customers choosing to sign the note on Nissan’s littlest pickup in 2017. That’s off a bit from one year prior (Frontier had record sales in 2016 at 86,926 units sold) but still more than double the number of GMC Canyons hitting the road during that same timeframe.

A new Frontier will happen at some point because of CAFE and their stringent fuel economy regulations. Its current stable of engines available in the Frontier, a 152-horsepower 2.5-liter inline-four and a 261-hp 4.0-liter V6 probably don’t help with Nissan’s fleet-wide fuel economy. In time, the company will have to replace them and it makes more sense to do so with an all-new truck rather than trying to shoehorn it into the existing one.

Nissan also risks losing its value crown with a new truck. Presently, the cheapest Frontier is a two-wheel drive King Cab which stickers at only $18,990. Far from a stripper truck, it comes standard with air conditioning, modern infotainment, and cruise control. There’s even a USB port and twin 12v ports on board.

With the tooling long since paid for, you know that Nissan is making money on every single one they sell. Why plow money, time, and effort into a new truck when the old one is selling well and making bank? They’ll have to eventually, but for now, expect the current Frontier to remain a fixture on Nissan lots for the next little while.