Maxima, Nissan SmyrnaUS – The start of production for the eighth-generation model comes 12 years after the first US-made Maxima rolled off the line at the OEM’s plant in Tennessee.

“Today's launch of the all-new Maxima is the beginning of an exciting year for Nissan's US line-up, with new versions of the Altima, Sentra and TITAN due later this year,” commented John Martin, Nissan's senior vice-president, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Purchasing.

“New models produced at our US plants in Smyrna, Tennessee, and Canton, Mississippi, helped to propel Nissan to nearly 1.4m sales in the US in 2014, and vehicles like the all-new Maxima will help us eclipse that record this year,” he continued.

The Maxima is assembled on the same line as the Altima midsize sedan and all-electric LEAF. With a workforce of around 8,400 personnel, Smyrna also produces the Rogue crossover, Pathfinder SUV and Infiniti QX60 luxury crossover.

Since it was established in 1983, the plant has made over 800,000 Maxima sedans, with 60,000 exported. Last year, Smyrna turned out more than 648,000 units in total, enabling it to claim top spot for vehicle assembly in North America.

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