Loing: 2016 Nissan Maxima Aimed At Younger Consumers

by Cameron Aubernon

June 8th, 2015 5:53 PM

loing 2016 nissan maxima aimed at younger consumers

Who is the intended audience for the 2016 Nissan Maxima? If you ask the automaker, they’re aiming for younger consumers.

According to Nissan North America product planning boss Pierre Loing, the new Maxima, with its muscular “4-door sports car” looks, is where the automaker aims to be different from the other players in the large sedan market, Automotive News reports:

The large segment has been an aging demographic, and sales are falling for the segment as a whole. We see the look and performance of the Maxima as a way to appeal to younger customers.

Nissan expects to move between 50,000 and 85,000 units of the eighth-gen Maxima in the United States per year, a feat given the overall decline in the aforementioned large segment filled with the likes of the Chevrolet Impala, Toyota Avalon and Hyundai Genesis.

If you want to know our thoughts on the Maxima, managing editor Mark Stevenson’s review lays it all out on whether or not Nissan will meet its intended goals with the sedan.

[Photo credit: Mark Stevenson/ The Truth About Cars]

#Demographics #Full-sizeSedans #Maxima #Millennials #MY2016 #Nissan #NissanNorthAmerica #PeterLoing

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Rdodger on Jun 09, 2015

The first thing I saw when the this came up was the Buick LaCrosse. Younger demographic? No thank you.

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ThirdPedal on Jun 09, 2015

I'm probably their target demographic. Late 30s, wife & kids and whatnot. I like the looks, interior and exterior. Power sounds ok, probably drives fine. I'm not dumb enough to belive that this has anything to do with sportscars. Between this thing and the altima racecar commercial, it's clear that Nissan is banking on people just not knowing any better. Sounds like a solid long term strategy to me. Godspeed Nissan. I'll remember the good times we had.

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- Ryoku75 on Jun 09, 2015
  
  Lots of car companies are doing this, Ford did this with one of their "handles like a racecar!" ads, and theres always Mazdas ads in Car and Driver (the Mazda 3 is a GREAT Lemans car!) Its an old dumb trick, but on the right cars it works.
  
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Zoom on Jun 09, 2015

This is the same size as an Altima. Why are they calling it large? Model Year 2015 2016 Model Altima Maxima Body 4dr Sedan 4dr Sedan Wheelbase 109.3 in 109.3 in Length 191.5 in 192.8 in Width 72.0 in 73.2 in Height 57.9 in 56.5 in

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John on Jun 11, 2015

I have never understood the obsession of automakers have with "luring younger buyers", especially traditionally "old fogey" automakers like Buick and Cadillac. Old people have MONEY! Young people, not so much. I think a SMART automaker would to well to lure older buyers.

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- Matador on Jun 11, 2015
  
  I think they're figuring that if they lure young buyers in, they will develop brand loyalty and they'll stay for life. The problem for a brand like Nissan is that as younger people move up (For those who do) and make more money, they'll want more. Will the make the connect to Infiniti, though? The problem with Buick and Cadillac using this strategy is that those brands have an "old luxury" perception attached to them. Younger people don't look at a Cadillac the way their parents do. The younger people prefer import luxury cars, like Lexus and Audi. Nissan will get those younger buyers in by doing this, but will they keep them? Buick and Cadillac have a much larger problem- a product that isn't overly desirable.
  
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- Corey Lewis on Jun 11, 2015
  
  The problem is psychological. Older people don't want to acknowledge or feel old, or have someone tell them "Hey, you're old! Buy this, it's for you!" in our youth-obsessed culture. The cars marketed to young hip people as trendy lifestyle vehicles, like the xB, Juke, New Beetle, other Scions, Element, Soul - are bought by old people. They want to feel young, and drive around and be seen in what those hip youngsters drive these days. The hip youngsters don't want people marketing to them -at all-, but when car companies show them something way cool, it's seen as too obvious, and too common. So they buy something aspirational they can't afford, like a 3-Series. Would the Soul or the Forte Koup be more suitable for them and their budget? Sure. But that's not cool. Tell me I want something, and I don't want it. Cars which are marketed to old people as large and comfortable, are bought by nobody. GM has tried this before, marketing length and comfort, and relaxed cruising. It's all over the long promotional video for the Fleetwood Brougham. Or those promo vids from the 90s featuring golfers, talking about the sophistication of the Euro Sport trim, etc. Exhibit A, referenced above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWnbObhBVTM
  
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