Nissan Maxima Nissan Maxima The Nissan Maxima is a mid-size car manufactured by Nissan and sold primarily in North America, the Middle East, and China. Making its sales debut in 1981 for the 1982 model year as the Datsun Maxima, it replaced the earlier Datsun 810. The name "Maxima" dates back to 1980 for the 1981 model year when the upscale 810 sold as the "810 Maxima" in North America. Like the 810, early versions of the Maxima had their origins in the Datsun/Nissan Bluebird. The Datsun brand was phased out in favor of Nissan in 1984 for the 1985 model year,
Nissan Caravan Caravan's twin, the Homy had been offered as a standalone generation from 1965 until 1976. The Homy was built and sold by the Prince Motor Company before the merger of Nissan in 1965 and the Homy was the first vehicle to be acquired by Nissan. After the merger in August 1966, because Nissan didn't have a large passenger platform, the Prince Homy was "badge engineered" as the Caravan, and the brand name was changed from Prince to Nissan. The merger was complete by 1970. It shared a chassis with the Prince Homer, a medium-duty cabover pickup truck. The second generation