Nissan has taken the unusual step of revealing its next-generation Maxima in a 90-second TV commercial shown during the Super Bowl football final on Sunday.
The commercial was Nissan's first Super Bowl TVC since 1997. Titled 'With Dad', the TVC combined the story of the work-life balance of a motor racing father with the reveal of future Nissan vehicles – also including Nissan's next Le Mans challenger, the GT-R LM NISMO.
The Japanese car-maker's all-new flagship sedan appearing in the commercial takes clear design cues from the Sport Sedan concept unveiled at the 2014 Detroit motor show last January.
No details have been announced yet, but the replacement for Nissan's biggest sedan features a sharp front-end with a bold, floating V-shape chrome grille, huge lower airdam and back-swept headlights accentuated by a 'lightning bolt' graphic echoed by the tail-lights, plus a sharply rising rear windowline.
Positioned as one of its global flagships, the new Maxima is based on the same front/all-wheel drive architecture as the new Murano crossover due on sale here this year and will be sold in more than 100 left- and right-hand drive markets. Power will be provided by 2.5-litre four-cylinder and 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines mated to an Xtronic CVT (similar to Altima), but a petrol-electric hybrid is also on the cards.
The current Maxima was discontinued Down Under in September last year for the first time since 1990, following the release of the mid-size Altima. Nissan Australia says it has no plans to introduce the new Maxima and will leave the Altima – which forms the basis of its V8 Supercar campaign – as its largest passenger model.
However, Nissan Australia managing director Richard Emery has not ruled out the possibility of the new Maxima replacing the Altima at some point, depending on sales of the latter and availability of the new Maxima. Emery has even said the old Maxima might never have been replaced by the Altima if he had been in charge of the company when that decision was made.