Nissan unveils Maxima ‘4-door sports car’ in New York

Japanese carmaker Nissan took the covers off the all-new Maxima sedan at the New York International Auto Show. Making the presentation was Nissan president and CEO Carlos Ghosn, who addressed a range of topics including Nissan's $10.1 billion investment in the U.S. in the past three decades.

"Maxima is extremely important to the Nissan brand from a heritage point of view and a performance point of view. This is the flagship sedan for Nissan in the U.S. and we expect big things from this car in terms of sales and expanding the reach and impact of the Nissan brand in North America," said Ghosn. "Today, Maxima holds 10 percent of the share in the upper mid-size segment, but we are targeting more than that for what we feel will be the most exciting and modern car in the class."

Nissan says the 2016 Maxima is “created by driving enthusiasts for driving enthusiasts”  and is billed as a ‘four-door sports car’ and aims to sets a new standard for style, performance and technology in the large sedan segment.
 
Maxima's styling showcases Nissan's new design language –including V-Motion front end, signature boomerang lights, kick-up C-pillars and unique floating roof appearance. Inside, Maxima's premium class-above, bespoke interior is anchored by a driver's cockpit that rivals luxury vehicles.

The new Maxima's 3.5-litre VQ-series V6 has been redesigned with more than 60 percent new parts (compared to the previous generation 3.5-litre V6). With 300 horsepower, Maxima has a high specific output of 85.7bhp/litre.

Complementing the revised powerplant is a new, performance-oriented Xtronic transmission featuring a wider ratio range, which allows for stronger acceleration from a standing start and an all-new D-Step shifting logic that provides rapid shifts at high throttle openings.

Maxima's next-generation technology features include a standard NissanConnectSM with navigation, featuring an 8.0-inch touch-screen display, along with SiriusXM Satellite Radio and SiriusXM Travel Link applications (Sirius XM subscription required, sold separately), Online Search with Google and other connectivity features. The NissanConnect system is paired with a standard 7.0-inch Advanced Drive Assist Display (ADAD) within the instrument cluster.

The new Maxima also gets an extensive range of safety, security and driving aids, including Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW), Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), Forward Emergency Braking (FEB), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (CTA) and Blind Spot Warning (BSW).

The all-new Maxima goes on sale in the US in mid-2015.