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 Lucino versions were available: GSE with the 1.6-liter engine, and GSR with the 2.0-liter unit. For the United States and Canada, Nissan renamed the Lucino, recycling the 200SX nameplate to designate the two-door coupé version of the Nissan Sunny/Sentra (B14). The 200SX, introduced in 1995 for the 1995 model year, replaced Nissan's previous compact two-door models, the Sentra (B13) and NX. With exception to this Lucino-derived model, every other Nissan with a name ending in "SX" refers to a car based on the Nissan S platform. The North American 200SX came in base, SE, and sportier SE-R models. Base and SE