Nissan Maxima News

Will Nissan make a crossover version of the Skyline? And, what happened to these Nissan passenger cars which were once popular in Australia?

Nissan is recalling almost 400,000 cars globally, including more than 6000 Pathfinder SUVs in Australia, due to a brake fault which could cause vehicles to catch fire.

Nissan Motor Company is set to trim at least 10 per cent of its global model line-up by March 31, 2022, in a bid to streamline production and boost profitability amidst dwindling sales.

Japanese carmaker Nissan will take the wraps of a new sports sedan concept on January 13 at Detroit motor show, but for the moment the shadowy teaser rendering above is the only real information we have about the car."The Sport Sedan Concept previews a new energetic design direction that amplifies Nissan’s legendary approach of applying sports car principles to a sedan," the accompanying press statement says somewhat unhelpfully.However, with the aging Maxima sedan due for a makeover soon, the concept could be a pointer to styling for its coming facelift. Particularly since there's some resemblance to the Nissan Maxima Concept rendering (below) teased at the 'Nissan 360' overview event -- particularly the sweptback headlight design.Along with the trapezoid grille on the Sports Sedan Concept, we could be seeing the birth of a new family face for the Nissan line-up. However anything of a true performance nature is unlikely to make it onto the mild-mannered Maxima sedan in the showroom.Nissan is also taking the IDx Freeflow and IDx Nismo concepts from November’s Tokyo motor show for a second airing at Detroit, suggesting even stronger moves towards gauging the response for a possible production plan.

If you're trying to sell an old car that's well past its prime -- and you're having trouble even with Carsguide's online ads starting from $0 – there's another solution. Make a video ad of the car and let it go viral. We've seen funny used car ads before but the execution of this 1996 Nissan Maxima video ad makes it really stand out. Nissan USA recently tweeted that they'd like to make an offer on the car. And with a description like this it's hard to resist. There is luxury in a Bentley, speed in a Ferrari, comfort in Bugatti. For everything else, there's this 1996 Nissan Maxima; aged 17 years. Appropriately named, never before in history has a car had the words "time-tested" engraved into its lone spirit. Being offered up for sale I present to you a car that will make magic happen. It not only brings more admiring stares than any other car I have driven it also has seatbelts! Amazing! This pavement-yacht has a ride as smooth as a Pegasus' backside. It's such a massive and impressive land-yacht it requires the use of steering fluid that has been designed to leak out from underneath the car when it has been exhausted from the majestic work that it has done, released into the wild when the great Maxima when it has decided its time has come. This Maxima no longer needs to let the odometer tell it how far it has gone - it has chosen a path of greatness and valor and refuses to let silly numbers determine its life! Only moments after sitting it its comfort of properly weathered leather you will hear the squeals of glee that the powerful V6 motors makes as it groans to life. You are at the command of a great ship, a warrior land-ship-yacht with scars to prove that it has indeed been to war and back! This steed of sorts will carry you from here and only by its grace will it allow you to get to where you are going at the mercy of its majesty! Few have ridden its glorious wheels, and few more may see its greatness. Watch the video ad of the used 1996 Nissan Maxima on our desktop site. Also see: Subaru Brumby ad a viral hit This reporter is on Twitter: @VladCARS  

For 2012 the Nissan Maxima 350Ti now features Nissan's new Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS). AFS automatically turns on low beam according to vehicle speed and adjusts the lighting pattern based on steering input to enhance night time visibility by compensating for the curvature of the road. However unlike other adaptive light systems, the left hand low beam also illuminates the chosen direction of travel when the driver is stopped at a crossroad, based on the position of the direction indicator.  Nissan Maxima 350 Ti also introduces a unique Side View Camera on the passenger side mirror that allows the driver to see the front left side of the vehicle a common blindspot through the car's Satellite Navigation monitor. This enhances safety by assisting the driver with parking and visibility of small objects. It can be turned on and off via a button on the centre console as required.  A further innovation introduced on the Nissan Maxima 350 Ti is an 'intelligent' rear sunshade that can be raised at the flick of a switch. Adding further value to Maxima, 250 ST-L and 350 ST-S models now get a new, fully integrated Bluetooth hands-free system with steering wheel controls. Prices remain unchanged, from $33,990.

And the car industry is not immune from being saddled with these potentially damaging problems.Apart from Ford's recent problems with brake hoses and brake booster valves on E-Gas Falcons the other ‘big two’ carmakers have had their fair share of recalls.Holden has had five recalls for its VE Commodore and Statesman range since its introduction in 2006, involving things like fuel vapor lines, fuel lines and defective valves on LPG cars.ToyotaToyota had a range of recalls for its Camry, HiLux, RAV4, Yaris and LandCruiser over the past three years. Most, like a headlight dimmer switch on a Camry, have been minor. Others, like the potential fire hazard stemming from a poorly installed insulator pad on a Yaris, raised alarm bells among some customers.NissanLast week Nissan was forced to recall 11,743 Maximas and 4972 Muranos because of a vibrating air intake in the engine bay.AudiEven the luxury German brands are not immune. Last year Audi had to recall its TT for a piece of rear side trim in its cars that unless fixed, could potentially injure passengers.Mercedes-Benz This year Mercedes-Benz has recalled its M-Class off-roader for a possible glitch in its electric rear hatch. It was also forced to recall S-Class sedans fitted with active body control because of problems with the front lower ball joints on its suspension. On some high-mileage vehicles, the front suspension could fracture on rough roads. Faulty left and right windows in the Viano van also required the replacement.BMWOf the German carmakers, BMW has fared better. It has not had a official government recall since 2006.Volvo Volvo has had three recalls this year of its S80, XC70, V70 and new XC60 for engine cooling fan problems and windscreen wiper problems with the S80 and XC70.JaguarJaguar, once widely ridiculed for its poor quality cars, has come a long way over the past few years. Jaguars these days have no less, or no more, problems with recalls than some of the other luxury brands. Last year it experienced some minor problems with the XF range involving wiring and rear seatbelts.In all cases, recalls by carmakers are handled quickly and responsibly. If you want to check out whether your vehicle has had a recall, go to www.recalls.gov.au

Culturally and historically, China and Japan have seldom agreed about anything, but consumer goods may have resolved that impasse.Japan, one of the world's biggest suppliers of consumer goods to the world, has what the Chinese want and are now prepared to pay for.It's the same with cars, which is why Nissan Japan decided the global debut of its front-wheel-drive Teana V6 sedan would be in China, at the Beijing Motor Show.Nissan vice-president Carlos Tavares, who is also in charge of product development, design and corporate strategy, says more than half of the old Teanas went to China."So it makes perfect sense to launch the new car here," he says.The Teana will replace the Maxima when it arrives in Nissan showrooms late this year. The current Maxima is built in Japan, but Tavares says Nissan may import the new car to Australia from Thailand "if the financial aspect adds up."Thailand has a free-trade agreement with Australia that affords cost savings for Nissan and buyers.The new Maxima follows what Nissan calls an "evolutionary" approach to styling. Others call it dreary, perhaps because the Teana was rolled out after the funky Pivo2 electric car.Based on Nissan's D-platform technology shared with the Murano, the Teana uses a fourth-generation version of the 3.5-litre V6 engine, which is mated to a six-speed, continuously variable transmission.Nissan has paid attention to the car's noise, vibration and harshness levels and claims the Teana is one of the quietest cars in its class.Also new is the multi-link rear suspension, speed sensing power steering and what Nissan calls "multi-layer bionic seats."Nissan Australia's Karl Gehling says Australian specifications are still being finalised, and the car may have some minor trim changes before it goes on sale locally.Nissan is also using the Beijing show to show off its Livina C-Gear crossover wagon.The car, which is destined for left-hand-drive markets, has the interior space of a mid-size wagon. 

Ron Barassi is one of the best-known names in the AFL. As a player, captain and coach, he has been a star for decades and his face has become known around the country.  But there is more to Barassi than most people think, as the 72-year-old legend reveals in a new book in the Icons of Australian Sport collection. The Barassi book is being produced to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the game, and it highlights his monumental contribution to football.  Barassi, who has been dominating the game in one way or another for more than 50 years, reveals his first foray into motoring was in a Holden. He also made one white-knuckled passenger nervous in a little car on a European autobahn, and owes his life -- and that of St Kilda great Neil Robert -- to the engineering of Mercedes-Benz.What was your first car?A 1957 Holden. It was supplied to me by my employer, James Millers of Brunswick, many, many years ago. I don't have a clue what colour it was, but I was about 21. I was in seventh heaven.What do you drive now?A fawn Nissan Maxima. I have driven Nissan Maximas (not this particular one) since 1993. I think they're very good.Do you have a favourite drive? Who would you take with you?I've done a fair bit of driving around Australia and in Europe, Cuba and the US. My favourite drive is probably along the Mediterranean coast. It's absolutely fabulous -- even better than our superb Great Ocean Rd.  I would take a guy called Bill Shannon. He's frozen a couple of times because I tried to get a little car to do 200km/h on an autobahn. He was a nervous passenger that day. How far would you drive in an average year?These days, about 25,000km a year, but once I would have averaged 40,000km a year. Do you have a favourite motoring memory?Well, this is not quite a motoring memory, but it is amazing. I had an accident near Geelong and I woke up in Geelong Hospital about 7am. I'm reading the newspaper and I come across the headline: Barassi has emergency spleen operation. I call the nurse over and ask her if this is right and she says, "Yes!''  It's a strange feeling to find out someone has been inside your stomach during the night and you didn't even know about it! I think it was in 1978. What car would you buy if money were no object?A Lamborghini for a day, then I'd settle into the best Mercedes. It was a Mercedes that saved my life in that accident near Geelong -- and that of my passenger, Neil Roberts. What music is playing in your car?Because I'm not spending as much time in my car these days I'd rather spend the time listening to current affairs and talkback radio.I don't go much for music in the cars these days. How much is too much for a new car?That's easy -- there is no figure. The answer is more than you can afford.What should be done to make driving safer? I'm a believer in an extra year of school. During that extra year -- and, in fact, the last four to five years of school -- you should learn social skills and practical, handy skills such as driving.  Driver education should start at high school. We should educate our drivers a lot better. There should be a consequence program to take the fun out of it, to a degree, so youngsters understand what can happen behind the wheel.Are you sponsored by a car company?No, I'm not. I have been, but not now. So when I say I like the Nissan Maxima, it's genuine.

Nick Adamidis, national sales and marketing manager for automotive research company Glass's Information Service, says people are being forced to sell their cars cheaply."The new-car market has been booming for the past few years and as a result there's an oversupply in the market place, which means that used cars are not necessarily bringing the prices people believe they are worth," he said."The price of fuel has had a big effect on cars with V8 engines, for example, which are depreciating faster than other vehicles as people try to get rid of them."People now expect a discount if they are buying a V8, because of their petrol usage."In 2000, a three-year-old V6-engined Holden Commodore Executive sedan could be bought for just over 50 per cent of its original purchase price, but today buyers have to pay only 44 per cent of the original price.Mr Adamidis said drops in tariffs on imported vehicles were also driving prices down."It affects the whole market, because if the makers of imported vehicles drop their price by $2000 or $3000 then the local makers have to drop their prices as well to stay competitive," he said."It's a great time to be buying a used car — it's a buyers' market."But we've still got a fair way to go. In the US and the UK, where the markets are more free, the average car, after three years, is worth 30 per cent of the original purchase price."In Australia, the average is 45 per cent, but we're heading in that direction and we'll get there in the next five to seven years."The drop in used-car prices has also been noted by the NSW Department of Commerce, which manages the Government's fleet.A department spokeswoman said State Fleet had tracked a downward trend in the prices it was getting for its used vehicles.Large, locally manufactured cars have had the biggest drop with much less in the small car segment. The drop in prices was spurring sales, however, with clearance rates at government auctions over the past two weeks of 99 per cent and 94 per cent, respectively.David Smith, senior manager of divisional services for the Motor Traders' Association of NSW, said prices would continue to fall."Some of the less fuel-efficient cars are definitely feeling it, but small cars are holding their value fairly well," he said."That's a reflection of the new-car market, because a lot of people are buying smaller cars and a lot of them are being traded in."He said that used-car dealers were the ones being squeezed by the price falls."There are a lot of dealers out there who are doing it tough," Mr Smith added. BEST VALUE RETAINED*SmallSubaru Impreza ............. 62%Mini Cooper .................. 61%Mitsubishi Lancer .......... 59% MediumSubaru Liberty .............. 58%Mazda 6 ....................... 55%Honda Accord ............... 53% LargeToyota Camry(4cyl) ....... 45%Toyota Aurion ............... 42%Ford Falcon LPG ........... 42% 4WDNissan X-Trail ................ 64%Subaru Forester ............ 63%BMW X3 ....................... 61% WORST VALUE RETAINEDSmallKia Rio ......................... 38%Suzuki Swift ................. 38%Proton Savvy ................. 38% MediumKia Optima ................... 37%Kia Magentis ................ 37%Hyundai Grandeur ......... 37% LargeNissan Maxima ............. 37%Ford Fairmont ............... 34%Ford Falcon .................. 32% 4WDLand Rover Freelander ... 42%Land Rover Discovery .... 40%Ssangyong Musso ........ 40%* Based on wholesale prices of three-year-old vehicles in average condition.