Nissan gave us a well-disguised tease for its 2016 Nissan Maxima in its Super Bowl ad this year.

When we first glimpsed Nissan’s extended-length Super Bowl spot on Sunday night, our attention was focused on the GT-R LM P1 NISMO racer debuting in this year’s Le Mans endurance series. But a second viewing reveals the Japanese maker had at least one more surprise revelation.

It turns out the 90-second commercial also offered a first glimpse of the next-generation 2016 Nissan Maxima that will take its official, public bow at the New York Auto Show a couple months from now.

The big Maxima has always tried to add a more sporty note to Nissan’s passenger car line-up, and the two images the maker is now offering up show that the 2016 remake goes for a more chiseled and angular look – albeit one that appears to borrow heavily from the design of the latest-generation Nissan Murano.

Says the maker in a terse release, “The Maxima’s dramatic styling features Nissan’s new design elements – including the V-motion front end and unique ‘floating roof’ – that first appeared on the 2015 Nissan Murano crossover.”

The Maxima's dramatic styling features Nissan's new design elements, including the V-motion front end and unique floating roof, from the 2015 Murano crossover.

In the Super Bowl ad, titled, “With Dad,” the professional motor sports champ finally hangs up his helmet after a successful career – only then realizing he has spent the years putting his family life on hold. He comes home to meet his now-distant son, apparently winning him over by offering a ride in the new Maxima.

The new sports sedan won’t make its debut until later this calendar year, and will be labeled a 2016. Curiously, the maker decided to extend the run of the old Maxima as a 2014 model. Whether that was always the plan, or suggests that the new version is running behind schedule isn’t clear.

(Nissan reveals Le Mans racer. For more, Click Here.)

Whether the coupe-like roof and distinctive sheet metal creases can help reinvigorate the Maxima remains to be seen. There is clearly a market for sporty cars – make that the “right” sporty cars. Performance machines have scored a 70% jump in sales since 2009, according to industry data.

(Click Here for details the rise in January new car sales.)

Nissan isn’t offering up much information on the 2016 Maxima, clearly going for maximum impact at the New York Auto Show. One key question is what will reside under that sculpted hood. The current sedan features a 290-horsepower version of Nissan’s ubiquitous 3.5-liter V-6. That’s a reasonably good performer but these days, 290 ponies is just mid-pack, especially for a full-size sedan, so the Japanese maker just might try to beef things up a bit.

(To see more about gas prices creeping back up, Click Here.)

There have been rumors that Nissan might even go with a more advanced hybrid system pairing a 2.5-liter supercharged I-4 with an electric motor to kick out plenty of off-the-line torque.

We should learn more once we get to the Big Apple.