New Life for the Shrinking Nissan Maxima?

Nissan’s future will not see it become everything to everyone, and certainly not in all markets. The 2010s, and the market share-chasing, globe-straddling expansionism that characterized that decade’s car-buying orgy, are violently over.

Also soon to be over, apparently, is the Nissan Maxima’s gasoline-powered powertrain.

The large-ish Nissan sedan’s fate has been the subject of much speculation ever since the current-generation model appeared. With a standard CVT and sports-sedan marketing pitch in tow, the Maxima didn’t wow reviewers, leaving many wondering exactly what its purpose is.

And as Nissan’s fortunes fell along with the Maxima’s sales, some pointed to a new role for the passenger car range-topper. That speculation gained new heat in early 2019, after Nissan revealed its electric IMs sports sedan concept. Boasting power aplenty (dual motors, 483 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, and a claimed driving range of 380 miles), the concept hinted at a change at the top of Nissan’s car lineup.

Following Nissan’s sales and cash crunch, coupled with the secondary economic bite of the pandemic, Automotive News feels confident in claiming that the next-generation Maxima “should” appear in the form of the IMs. Whether or not the name Maxima is retained remains to be seen.

The same can be said for the appearance of customers. If people didn’t show up for the Maxima, would a ballsier sedan that ditches internal combustion make a difference? Can any non-premium passenger car, even if electric, rake it in? Tesla seems to prove that, yes, such vehicles can, though sales of the Model 3 and its brethren are juiced by Silicon Valley tech devotion and the futurist aura surrounding the company’s CEO.

If Nissan does replace the Maxima, it should appear in the second half of 2022.

The Maxima found 35,076 U.S. buyers in 2019, almost half of the volume the model enjoyed just two years prior. The bump in interest seen after the current generation’s debut quickly tapered off. Between 1994 and 2001, the Maxima reliably sold well over 100,000 units per year in the United States, with similar showings in 1986, 1989, and 1990.

[Image: Nissan]