Nissan to roll out new, redesigned offerings

Nissan continues its onslaught of new products next year with five all-new or redesigned vehicles.

The parade will start in March with the redesigned, re-engineered 2004 Maxima. Company representatives are offering little in the way of detail, but they have released this first photo of their top-of-the-line sedan.

The side view suggests that Nissan designers were still smitten with the lines of the Altima when they sat down at the drawing board. Indeed, the Maxima shares its platform with the Altima and the just-introduced Murano crossover SUV.

The official word, though, is that the Maxima will provide “the soul” of the Z sports car introduced this summer “wrapped in a premium sports sedan design.” That means, among other things, that the Maxima’s 3.5- liter V-6 -- shared with the Altima, the Murano, the 350Z, the upcoming Quest minivan and the Infiniti G35 coupe and sedan -- will be tuned to be closer to the Z’s 287 horsepower than to the Altima’s 245 horses.

Other new 2004 models in the Nissan parade next year will be the Quest and the 350Z convertible in early summer and two company firsts: a full-size sport utility vehicle in September and a full-size pickup in November.