Dubai: Nissan takes the Maxima’s sports sedan credentials very seriously — so much so, in its eight-generation incarnation, the model’s design ethos has roots sourced direct from a jet fighter. (For those who need everything to be specific, the inspiration comes from the Blue Angels at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida.)
“The new version sure has a groovy design, quite visible on the exterior and even extends to what you get in the interior,” said Samir Cherfan, Managing Director at Nissan Middle East. “It gives the spice that you don’t usually have within this segment. The fit and finish confirms to a premium treatment rather than the classic. If it’s on-board technology is to be rated, we got enough on the Maxima to separates us from the rest of the crowd.”
The new Maxima — bearing an extensively remodelled 3.5-litre V6 with 300-hp- has just been introduced in the UAE, with price tags starting at just under Dh110,000 ($30,000) for the entry version and soaring to Dh150,000 ($41,000) for the top-of-the-line. Nissan claims that more than 60 per cent of the new engine bears new parts as compared with the earlier version. “And they do come with higher (highway) fuel efficiency (by 15 per cent) — and it’s not just us saying it but proven by independent tests carried out in the US.”
In the Gulf markets, the Maxima through the years has had an exalted status and more so within a certain demographic. “A typical owner would be a 35-year male, either single or just starting out on a family,” said Cherfan. “That’s still the dominant owner profile we have for the Maxima, and I don’t see any major change to that. But it could still has what it takes to appeal to other categories.”
But even within that owner base, there is plenty for Maxima to build upon. In three years, the target is for volumes from the Gulf markets to touch the 7,000-unit mark from the current 4,000 units plus. “On those numbers, I don’t think the Maxima can in any way be classified as a niche model and that’s despite its status as a sports sedan. It’s never the case that we are aiming it to be a 40,000 units (a year) car.”
Add in the 20,000 units the Altima has been putting in, Nissan’s getting the right sort of balance on its mid-range sedan offerings.
