Maxima 2000 Lands in Chicago
4 February 1999
Maxima 2000 Lands in ChicagoGARDENA, Calif., Feb. 3 -- The all-new, more powerful and luxurious Maxima sedan for the 2000 model year lands at the Chicago Auto Show as Nissan's U.S. comeback continues to roll out. The 2000 Maxima will be presented to the media at a news conference on Feb. 10, during the press preview days of the Chicago Auto Show. The worldwide introduction will take its creative cue from a Nissan television advertisement showing the current Maxima driving up the ramp of a rolling cargo plane. At the same news conference, the latest version of the Nissan NCS, or New Concept Sedan, will be unveiled. Like the 2000 Maxima, the NCS was designed at Nissan Design International, Inc. in San Diego, Calif. The NCS is a study of what may be the next generation of a traditional sedan. The all-new Maxima will join other production vehicles introduced at auto shows earlier this year. The 1999.5 model Pathfinder and the 2000 model Frontier Crew Cab bowed at the Los Angeles Auto show, and the Nissan Xterra sport-utility vehicle caught the eyes of hundreds of thousands of visitors to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. On the concept side, the NCS will be joined by the Z sports car and the SUT(TM) -- an innovative combination of a pickup truck and a sport-utility vehicle. Both captured the imaginations of Detroit show-goers. "All of these vehicles clearly show Nissan is on the way back," said Jason Vines, Vice President, Corporate Communications. "These products generated lots of interest in Los Angeles and Detroit, and that momentum will be flying high in Chicago." At the newly redesigned Infiniti display in Chicago, there will be a demonstration of Nissan's active head restraint system, which reduces the likelihood of whiplash neck injuries in rear-end crashes. Also on display will be an Infiniti Q45 specially prepared by performance aftermarket supplier Steve Millen Sports Cars of Costa Mesa, Calif. The Infiniti Indy Q45 features, among other things, a modified engine producing an estimated 300 horsepower (up from the standard 266 horsepower Q45 powerplant), 17-inch sport wheels and high-performance tires, progressive rate springs that lower the ride by 1 1/4 inches and 13 1/2-inch front brake rotors and rear-drilled rotors. In addition, Chicago show-goers will be able to receive information about the Infiniti Owner's Club, the next step in the industry-leading Infiniti Total Ownership Experience(R). The Owner's Club provides Infiniti customers with special offers on travel, sporting and cultural events and merchandise provided by Consumer Link Networks, Inc. "We're very excited about the 1999 Chicago Auto Show," Vines said. "Our next stop will be the New York Auto Show in April, when we will take the cover off the all-new 2000 Infiniti I30." In North America, Nissan's operations include styling, engineering, manufacturing, sales, consumer and corporate financing, and industrial and textile equipment. Nissan in North America employs more than 20,000 people in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and generates more than 70,000 jobs through more than 1,500 Nissan and Infiniti dealerships across the continent. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at http://www.nissan-na.com.