Nissan is ending production of the Maxima in 2023

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The Nissan Maxima, a sport sedan that has spanned eight generations over four decades, will cease production, as reported by Car and Driver. The culprit? Minuscule interest — but just how minuscule? The first half of 2022 saw just 3,753 Maxima keys handed over. In comparison, the smaller Altima moved 78,610 units.

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Nissan is ending production of the Maxima in 2023 Back to video

However, the nameplate may make a return. Nissan’s said it’s “prioritizing electric vehicles,” and while that statement alone may not mean much — since most brands are doing the same thing — the company also said, “stay tuned for future Nissan Maxima news.” Technically speaking, if more news is to come, beyond ending production of the Maxima, it’s supposedly going to make a return at some point or another, right?

With a new EV sedan slotted for 2025, it’ll possibly be branded with the Maxima nameplate. It wouldn’t be the first time a company resurrected a nameplate for marketing and nostalgia purposes — in fact, that seems to working quite well for many auto manufacturers.

The current model, in its eight generation, has been around since 2015 and had a mid-cycle refresh in 2019. It houses a 3.5L V6 that creates 300 hp and 261 lb-ft of torque. Fun fact! The second generation Maxima which shared a V6 engine with the legendary Z.

It held its own during the heyday of luxury sedans and at one point, it even came with a manual gearbox. Sure, it had some questionable styling in the sixth-generation — that peculiar sunroof and a four-seat layout, not to mention the flip to a CVT, paired with an aging platform. As competitors raced forward, the Maxima was on its way out.