Nissan Maxima unveiled in full in New York

Under the bonnet there's a 3.5-litre V6 driving the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission. With 60 percent of its parts claimed to be new, the 3.5-litre V6 produces a maximum of 224kW of power.

In the USA, the Maxima is estimated to attain a fuel economy rating of 7.8L/100km (30mpg).

On stage, Carlos Ghosn, Nissan and Renault CEO, declared that the new Maxima would be primarily focussed on the North American market. We're waiting to hear back from Nissan Australia as to its chances of making the trip down under.

The new Maxima goes on sale in the US from June, and will be followed by restyled versions of the Altima family sedan and Sentra small car; the latter is sold in Australia as the Pulsar sedan.

These facelifted models are said to adopt, to some degree, a variation of the company's new, bolder design language, as used on the new Murano and the just unveiled Maxima.

On the inside, the new Maxima features an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, as well as a 7-inch display in the instrument panel. Available tech features include intelligent cruise control, blind spot monitoring, automated emergency braking, remote engine start, reversing camera and satellite navigation.

Top-spec models will also be fitted with a driver monitoring system that keeps tabs on steering inputs to determine baseline level of awareness and alert the driver when he or she becomes inattentive.