EXCLUSIVE: Nissan Dealers Have ALREADY Been Shown New Maxima And Are GAGA Over It

Before digging in, let's just recap a little bit. At the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, Nissan showed several concepts, one of which being the Sport Sedan Concept.

After the teasers, it definitely piqued my interest. But, here's the rub: it's a much more important vehicle than you may think. In fact, we have knowledge from a reliable and well placed source that THIS car is the next-generation Maxima.

And, it has already been given the green light.

According to our source, Nissan dealerships haven't been overly happy and excited about what Nissan has been giving them to sell. The situation had become so dire that Nissan knew it had to act. The company worked on an all-new Maxima and it's already productionalized. Fairly recently, Nissan held a meeting and invited its dealer network to take a look at the finished product and weigh in — they were ecstatic.

We can see why. Though we don't know exactly what the next-gen Maxima will look like, we're betting a LOT of its DNA is coming from the Sport Sedan Concept.


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makkystyle - 1/16/2014 2:30:52 AM

+1 Boost

That's one fugly car.

mkco - 1/16/2014 6:07:17 AM

0 Boost

OMG, that's grotesque! Nissan dealers are "ecstatic" about that? Welcome to the world of self-delusion.

leej - 1/16/2014 7:37:25 AM

+2 Boost

From a concept perspective, this design is very visually appealing. How much of the details will remain after translation from concept to production remains to be seen. I certainly do not trust feedback on an Internet site from the general public. Everyone other complains how over-styled or under-styled something is...and these response usually are based in foundational prejudices toward a particular manufacturer.

Example: I say the BMW 2 series configurator online, and I honestly could not visually tell the difference between the 2 and the new 4. But, this is how BMW works, and how they view their customer base.

I will reserve my opinion until the production model is revealed. It should be interesting. I am glad some design studios are taking risks again and not turning out these cookie cutter designs.

carloslassiter - 1/16/2014 8:18:23 AM

+3 Boost

I have two thoughts:

1. It looks modern
2. It's not as ugly as those Lexus concepts.

curriescorner - 1/16/2014 9:07:53 AM

+1 Boost

Well "Gaga" is not really saying much. "Gooogoo Gaga" on the other hand is a whole different story.

stampfer - 1/16/2014 2:24:38 PM

+1 Boost

It's a concept. It's more interesting than appealing. Like the color. Agree that this car will likely loose a lot in translation to production. And could we please have some more pics, I'm not sure it's been captured from every angle :-)

Agent00R - 1/16/2014 11:16:08 PM

+1 Boost

We can take more if you want... ;)

kysrsoze1 - 1/17/2014 11:23:45 AM

+2 Boost

I hope they're looking at small design cues, some of which are nice. However, as a whole, this thing is a complete mess. Look at that buck-toothed front end! It's literally laughing at anyone who wants to buy it.

gkearns56 - 1/17/2014 4:08:36 PM

+2 Boost

I think it looks GREAT, very modern looking. I owned a 97 and 2001 Maxima. That was the last style I had bought. Then they came out with that stupid vertical sunroof (that didn't open; so what good was it) and those hideous headlights-half square, half rounded. This looks futuristic; and that's a shot in the arm Nissan needs to be: "The 4 Door Sports Sedan" again.

Chark - 1/17/2014 4:47:18 PM

0 Boost

it looks like a Sonata entering a black hole...

MorePower - 1/17/2014 11:39:12 PM

+1 Boost

The production car will not be as radically styled as this concept.

The basic shape and outline of the car will remain. I suspect the front fascia will be toned down, read the beak will be removed and not chromed, and the chiseled body lines will be smoothed out.