First look: Nissan reveals Maxima

THE first official picture of the new generation Nissan Maxima has been issued, revealing the profile of the car that will continue on as the company's local luxury flagship when it goes on sale here in late 2003.

The rug will come off the new Maxima for the first time in public at the Detroit auto show in January.

While staying tight-lipped about details, Nissan Australia officials concede the look of the Australian car, whicle a little different in detail, is fundamentally the same.

Little information came with the picture issued by Nissan in the USA late last week but we do know the new car shares the car-maker's FF-L platform with the Altima sedan and Murano sport wagon.

It is expected to have a 3.5-litre V6 engine, as the current generation does.

The Maxima will be part of a blitz of new products the Japanese car-maker will roll out at the Detroit auto show in early January.

Other introductions will be the 2004 Nissan Quest minivan, a full-sized pick-up truck and the 2004 Infiniti FX45 sport wagon.

Datsun to return?

GIVING a speech in Tokyo on December 3, Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn called Datsun a symbol of Nissan's history and expressed a desire to bring it back.

He did not specify what types or grades of vehicle the Datsun name would be applied to, but left his audience in no doubt that the idea would be followed through.

Datsun was the company's leading brand until 1981, when it changed the brand name to the company name, Nissan. Today, the Datsun is only used on one pick-up model sold outside Japan.