NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: New Nissan Maxima looms

Nissan has confirmed it will reveal a new-generation Maxima flagship sedan at the Los Angeles motor show in November, ahead of its global rollout to more than 100 left- and right-hand drive markets globally.

However, the future Nissan’s redesigned Maxima, which was previewed by the sleek Sports Sedan Concept at January’s Detroit show, remains unclear in Australia, where Nissan has repeatedly stated the Altima will remain its largest passenger model.

Nissan Motor Co’s Chief Planning Officer and Executive Vice-President Andy Palmer said at yesterday’s New York show opening that the more stylish new sedan will no longer be a US-centric model.

“Maxima will be a global model,” he said. “It isn’t today – it’s a US model that goes to a few other places. But the new car, looking something like that [Sport Sedan concept], will be a global model.”

Asked if the Los Angeles motor show in November would be a logical place to present the production Maxima, Palmer said: “It would, wouldn't it?”

The new Maxima will enter production before Christmas alongside the closely related new Murano at Nissan’s Mississippi plant in the US.

Nissan Australia has confirmed the 2015 Murano will go on sale Down Under in the second half of next year, but is yet to reveal its plans for the next Maxima – a model that was axed when the Altima arrived last year.

Like the 2015 Murano, the next Maxima is based on the same large front/all-wheel drive platform that underpins the latest Pathfinder and is a development from the previous-generation platform.

Expect similar powertrains to the 2015 Murano, which is claimed offer a 20 per cent fuel consumption reduction due to weight reductions, improved aerodynamics and upgrades engines.

That means the staple engine should be Nissan’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, plus the award-winning 3.5-litre VQ-series V6, both mated to the company’s Xtronic CVT automatic transmission.

Palmer said Nissan’s new four-door flagship would closely resemble the Sport Sedan Concept, which features a prominent V-shape grille, boomerang-style headlights and a ‘floating’ roof.

“In five years, this is what all our sedans will look like,” he said. “We don't want vanilla, we want Marmite.

“Basically what you see today is the future of Nissan design – what our cars will look like for the next five years.”

Palmer said the Maxima will remain an important top-shelf sedan for Nissan, even while its Infiniti luxury brand expands into smaller vehicle segments.

“Maxima tops our range, as Infiniti grows stronger and stronger, but obviously it’s growing in those other segments.

“Nissan still needs those halo models – the Patrol, the Maxima, the Murano and the GT-R are really quite important for us in let’s say defining everything that Nissan is.”