It'll be interesting where Nissan goes. What should be underlined is the new Altima is better (or equal to at a cheaper price) than the current Maxima. So where is the next Maxima going to go?
At least the current Maxima *can* look decent (though usually the good looking Maximas I see are actually Infiniti Gs!), while the new Altima still has the rental fleet look (though not as bad in the new styling). Still, at some point the Maxima is going to have an identity crisis. It doesn't rate well as an upscale/entry-lux mid-sized sedan and gets trounced by its cousin at Infiniti.
It doesn't help that I couldn't care less about this segment of vehicle.
I was and still am pissed that Ford stole the Aston look for the front end of many of its current cars. It's so lovely I hate it for what it is. And I'd hate it if Nissan styled the Maxima with any borrowed elements from the GTR.