1984 Nissan 300 Zx 50th Anniversary Edition on 2040-cars

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Renault will develop and build the next-generation Nissan Micra

PARIS — French carmaker Renault will develop and assemble the next generation of partner NissanÂ’s Micra models, a senior executive at the Japanese firm said, as the two companies try to reboot their alliance with tighter cooperation in production. Ashwani Gupta, NissanÂ’s chief operating officer, said in an interview with FranceÂ’s Le Monde newspaper published on Monday that the Micra plan was an example of their “leader-follower” strategy, with one firm taking the lead on certain car types. Nissan Micra models are already assembled at RenaultÂ’s Flins factory in France, although that site is set to be turned over to recycling activities around 2024, when the life cycle of the car ranges made there expires. “For the next generation of Micra, we will follow Renault, and we will ask Renault to develop and make the future Micra for us,” Gupta said. Both struggling financially, Renault and Nissan have cleared the decks of old managers and outlined joint cost-saving plans as they try to move on from a scandal surrounding former alliance boss Carlos Ghosn. Ghosn, who fled detention in Japan and is now in Lebanon, denies financial misconduct charges against him.

2016 Nissan Maxima First Drive [w/video]

Nissan has called the fullsize Maxima sedan a four-door sports car since 1988, with the debut of the third-generation model. What little truth existed in that moniker has slowly ebbed away in the ensuing years, with recent iterations only incrementally more sporting than the rest of the big-car segment. That doesn't change for 2016, despite Nissan's continued use of the "4DSC" trademark. But while the new Maxima may be less four-door sports car, it's much more full-on luxury car. That fact is best reflected in the eighth-generation Maxima's handsome new cabin. Particularly on the SR and Platinum trims that we drove, the interior is easily the best in its class. We are impressed by the cabin's soft, handsomely stitched leather, genuine Italian-made Alcantara suede, matte wood, and "liquid" metal trim. The seat inserts on our tester features quilted stitching that looks far more suited to Nissan's premium Infiniti brand, while the threads found on the dash and doors look like they're really there to hold things together – a rarity nowadays. While we question the use of the 4DSC moniker, the layout of the cabin is in line with the Maxima's marketing pitch. The center stack is angled seven degrees towards the driver. Along with the high transmission tunnel, this contributes to the cockpit-like feel of the driver's seat. A fat-rimmed, flat-bottomed steering wheel – a first for Nissan – is amply padded, and on the sporty SR, can be had with contrasting Alcantara accents. The small diameter and SR-specific paddles extend the sports car promise. The sculpted, broad-shouldered exterior has the muscle of Nissan's real sports cars, the GT-R and 370Z, but it exceeds both of those in terms of outright attractiveness. Nissan's stylists call the design language "Energetic Flow," but we simply prefer to call the overall look, which borrows heavily from the Sports Sedan Concept, very pretty. If the 2016 Maxima fails to add zest to a staid segment from behind the wheel, at least it brings a serious dose of style to the large sedan clubhouse. Nissan claims class-leading specifics for the latest version of the VQ35 V6, reinforcing the 4DSC promise. There are 86 horsepower per liter, with 300 ponies in total from the 3.5-liter engine. Sixty-one percent of the parts in the latest-generation VQ35 V6 are new, contributing to the 10-hp bump over last year's sedan. The horsepower peaks high in the rev range, at 6,400 rpm, a mere 200 revs below redline.

Nissan Maxima was almost axed

The redesigned 2016 Nissan Maxima goes on sale in early June, but according to Automotive News, this eighth-generation model almost didn't see the light of day. That's the word from Pierre Loing, vice president of North American product planning. "A lot of people assume it was a forgone conclusion that, of course we will continue with another Maxima," Loing told Automotive News. "But frankly, the forgone conclusion at that moment was that there would not be another Maxima." When Loing joined Nissan in 2012, he was tasked with building a case for a new Maxima. The Japanese automaker was focused on making cost-efficient, global platforms, but the Maxima sold almost exclusively in North America. And not in high numbers, either. But Loing says Maxima is an important part of Nissan's history in the United States. The car was introduced in 1981, and Loing says Maxima perhaps has better name recognition than Nissan itself. The company is pleased with its 2016 Maxima. "When I look at this car, I'm proudest of the fact that it's here at all," Takeshi Yamaguchi, former Nissan North America VP of vehicle engineering, told Automotive News. "And on top of that, I'm proud of that fact that we took the Maxima beyond where it was, instead of taking it backward." Related Video: