After surviving for eight generations and nearly 40 years, the Nissan Maxima will reportedly be discontinued. According to Car and Driver, Nissan plans to end production of the Maxima in the middle of 2023. The reason for the Maxima’s discontinuation is because of Nissan’s shift toward electric cars.
Nissan isn’t ruling out the possibility of another Maxima down the road, but for the moment, the gas-powered sedan is getting cut as Nissan is “prioritizing electric vehicles.” That’s the word from an official statement that Nissan gave the outlet. The automaker told Car and Driver to “stay tuned for future Nissan Maxima news.” That could mean the upcoming all-electric sedan from Nissan that’s expected to go on sale in 2025 could bear the Maxima name.
The large car segment has decreased drastically in popularity. The Maxima competes against the likes of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Toyota Avalon, the latter of which was discontinued after the 2022 model year. It’s no secret that SUVs have greatly eaten into sedan sales, but large sedans have suffered immensely.
In the shrinking segment, the Maxima stood out for being one of the sportier options available. Its powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine and athletic handling were surprising for the class, as most of the other options prioritize comfort. Despite its sporty-forward design, the Maxima struggled to do as well as rivals. The Maxima has been in a steady decline in sales since 2017. That year, Nissan sold 67,627 units of the sedan, after that it’s been downhill. Sales dropped to 42,337 units in 2018, 35,076 units in 2019, 18,141 units in 2020, and 16,386 units in 2021. In 2021, Dodge sold 78,388 Chargers and Toyota sold 18,280 Avalons.
Nissan certainly didn’t help the Maxima’s chances by leaving the sedan high and dry by not introducing any major updates since the redesign in 2016. We certainly hope Nissan brings the Maxima name back, even if it’s with an all-electric sedan, as the historic nameplate deserves to live on.
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