There is room for the Maxima to finally fill in a gap that Nissan has been missing out on - a performance sedan.
The Maxima competes in the segment of the Dodge Charger/Chrysler 300, Buick Lacrosse, Ford Taurus, and some others. In light of the recent push of Nismo branding, they have a major opportunity here to make it a player and truly differentiate it from what it has been previously - a [half-assed] premium Altima.
Also - even though I'm somewhat critical of the Maxima's current place, Nissan does need justification to push it, and they have it - the Maxima is the top seller in its segment, which has gone as a fairly unsung success in the mix of Nissan's portfolio. I would love to see it go RWD, which is a 50/50 shot in happening as certain members of its competition are RWD.
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