Nissan Maxima Officially Ending Production In 2023

Since its original release in 1980 under the Datsun brand, the Nissan Maxima has always played an important role in the Japanese automaker's lineup as its flagship offering. But as the full-size sedan market continues to shrink, Nissan has decided to pull the Maxima from its lineup in 2023, ending a 42-year run.

"Maxima is one of the most storied nameplates for Nissan in North America. We announced to our employees, suppliers and dealers that the current-generation Maxima will end production in the middle of 2023," a Nissan spokesperson said.

"As part of Nissan's Ambition 2030 plan, the company is prioritizing electric vehicles and advanced technologies, and by 2030, 40 percent of Nissan vehicle sales will be fully electric, with more to be electrified. Additionally, earlier this year Nissan announced two all-new, all-electric models at the Canton assembly plant in Mississippi.

"Please stay tuned for future Maxima news as we empower journeys through exciting vehicles and tech innovation."

When the Maxima ditched its Datsun badges for its second generation in 1985, Nissan began to market it as a "four-door sports car." Ever since then, the Maxima has been known as the company's sports sedan. The current-generation Maxima arrived in 2015 for the 2016 model year, introducing a sharper design direction that was soon adopted by the entire Nissan lineup. But while the outgoing Maxima wan't a bad car, it just couldn't live up to the performance-oriented personality of its predecessors.

The writing has been on the wall for years now, as Maxima sales continue to drop in favor of crossovers. In the first half of 2022, only 3,753 units left dealers. Full-size sedans in general are seeing dismal sales numbers, and even Toyota has decided to discontinue its full-size offering, the Avalon. But Nissan's statement regarding the Maxima's death did seem to hint that the model could make a return as an EV, with previous rumors pointing to a stylish lifted sedan based on the 2019 IMS concept. But even though the nameplate might end up coming back, this is still the end of the Maxima as we know it.

Will you miss the Maxima?

Images: Nissan