On February 1, 2015, Nissan aired an ad during Super Bowl XLIX titled "With Dad". Near the end of this ad a brief view of the new Maxima was seen. Following the Super Bowl ad, Nissan released two official images of the new Maxima.
The Maxima was unveiled at the April New York Auto Show 2015. Sporting an athletic body redesign, it features Nissan's "Four-Door Sports Car" positioning, a return to a marketing term used on the Third Generation J30 series (1988-1992). The vehicle is 82 pounds lighter than before, and it presents the revamped interior taking inspiration from aerospace. The VQ35DE engine was carried over with 10 more horsepower which are rated at 300 hp (224 kW) and 261 lb·ft (354 N·m) of torque. The Maxima is available with 9 exterior color options and 5 trims: S, SV, SL, SR, and Platinum.
The 2016 model year Maxima is currently on sale in North America, hoping to rekindle renewed interest from past successes.
This generation Maxima will make its debut for China in 2015 Guangzhou Auto Show with the Chinese name 西瑪, which they used as previous generation Nissan Cima.