Beijing show: Our Maxima replacement emerges

NISSAN chief Carlos Ghosn unveiled the car that will become Australia’s next-generation Maxima at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition yesterday.

The new Maxima will be launched in Australia in the first half of 2009.

Although Mr Ghosn was driven onto the stage in the Pivo 2 electric concept car that first appeared at last year’s Tokyo show, the focus of his presentation was the global reveal of the company’s new mid-size prestige car.

Called the Teana in China and some other foreign markets, it differs in terms of styling at least from the US market model Maxima, the latest version of which was previewed at the recent New York auto show, but shares the same front-wheel drive platform.

All Maximas share the same 170kW/333Nm 3.5-litre VQ35DE petrol V6 engine and Xtronic continuously variable transmission, which are expected to continue virtually unchanged in the new model.

In China, the car was also previewed with 2.5-litre V6 and 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines, but these will not come to Australia. There has also been talk of a turbo-diesel engine in the future.

The Maxima has been a staple model for Nissan Australia since being introduced in 1990 and the company will be hoping the new model can stimulate demand in the face of the downward trend in this country for large cars.

Sales peaked at more than 5300, or 8.4 per cent of the company’s total, in 2004 – the first year on sale for the current J31 series following its December 2003 introduction – but gradually slid to 1400 last year (2.3 per cent of Nissan’s total).

In China, where the Teana is built in a joint-venture with Dongfeng Motor Company, Mr Ghosn said the latest model embodies sophistication and could be defined by a bodyline that is a graceful and sweeping arc.

“When we introduced Teana in 2004, it sent a clear signal that Nissan was serious about growth in China,” said Nissan’s president and CEO told the Chinese audience.

“The all-new Teana again demonstrates our commitment to high quality and world-class products for the Chinese consumer.”

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