Nissan aims high with new Maxima

If at first you don't succeed try, try again. That's Nissan's philosophy for its under-performing Maxima sedan with a new version due in Australia by July. After disappointing sales for the current model, Nissan has set high goals for the new Maxima.

Nissan Australia's general manager of marketing Ross Booth told the Carsales Network that the new car would be launched in late June or early July after the new Murano, GT-R and 370Z go on sale.

Booth said the company is targeting between 200-250 sales per month for the new model after the current car could only manage 923 sales in 2008. That represented a 34 per cent drop over the previous year and saw the car trailing well behind the leading large V6 models, including the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Toyota Aurion and Honda Accord V6.

The launch of the car will cap a busy period for the brand locally that has seen it overhaul the bulk of its range with the Dualis, Micra, X-TRAIL diesel, Murano, GT-R and 370Z. Nissan has targeted fifth place in next year's sales race and the new Maxima will play a crucial role in allowing the brand to overtake Mitsubishi for the spot.

Unfortunately the car bound for local showrooms is based on the Japanese-spec Teana (pictured). The new Maxima didn't impress on our initial drive in Portugal last year (more here).

Unlike the American-spec Maxima that has been re-engineered with a focus on performance, the Australian Maxima has only had a mild makeover. Although slightly larger than the current car the new model looks largely the same. The 3.6-litre V6 and CVT gearbox are carried over from the current car.

Luxury remains the priority with a new intelligent air-conditioning system, Bose sound system and satellite navigation the standout features.

The car is due in June but Nissan spokesman Jeff Fisher says it was dependant on supply from the company's factory in Thailand and sales may not start until July.