Nissan Cima
Encyclopedia
The Nissan Cima is a large luxury sedan produced by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. for the Japan
ese market. The car's name is derived from Spanish
for "summit". The hood ornament
uses an image of an acanthus leaf
. The acanthus leaf was commonly used by classical Greeks
to make a wreath for use as a crown
.
The Cima has traditionally been Nissan's rival to the Toyota Crown Majesta
. The Cima in the first two generations was a more luxurious and larger version of the Cedric and Gloria, with the Cima sharing the V8 engine from the President. Later generations of the Cima shared the same platform as the President, with the Cima being a shorter version; these iterations of the Cima were exported to the United States as the Infiniti Q45
. The Q45 was discontinued after 2006, however the Cima and the President continued in production until August 2010, leaving the Nissan Fuga
to become the lone flagship
sedan.
The Nissan Cima was introduced in 1988 and was based on an elongated Cedric/Gloria chassis. With its phenomenal sales—about 64,000 units sold the first year and 120,000 in four years—the car became a symbol of the bubble economy. To date the Nissan Cima has sold over 278,000 units.
bracket dictated a division point at the car being 4700 mm (185 in) long, 1700 mm (66.9 in) wide, with a 2 liter engine. Both the Nissan Cedric
/Nissan Gloria
and its archrival, the Toyota Crown
were stretched to this very limit. When rumors came that Toyota was developing a larger, wider extension of the Crown, called the Crown Majesta
, Nissan acted hastily and could not get the wide version ready for the narrow version's launch in June 1987. The half-year gap in development, however, brought about many changes in design. This generation was manufactured as a 4 door hardtop, with no B-pillar between the front and rear side glass windows.
The Y31 Cima is available with a 200 horsepower (149 kW) VG30DE
or a 255 horsepower (190 kW) turbocharged VG30DET
. The turbocharged version was especially popular, leading the Japanese media to coin the term "the Cima phenomenon". The Cedric Cima was sold at dealerships where the Nissan Laurel
could be found in Japan, and the Gloria Cima was sold at Nissan dealerships that sold the Nissan Skyline
. The Cima was available with an air suspension.
Initially the Cima was only available with the VH41DE, a short-stroke version of the VH45DE
found in the first Infiniti Q45
. The air suspension introduced in the previous generation was retained along with active suspension that was available on the USA-spec Infiniti Q45
. Its appearance was said to reflect a more British appearance, both inside and out. An analog clock, found on most USA-spec Infinitis during the same time period, also appeared in this vehicle. AWD and a V8 engine were also added to the options list.
. This generation was made available as the USA-spec Infiniti Q45. AWD was still being offered in Japan only and it was the first car sold in Japan with side airbags as standard equipment. The styling seemed to resemble Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold at the time. This generation vehicle was used as a patrol car for the Saitama Prefectural Police Highway department. The primary competitor for this version is the Toyota Crown Majesta
which also has a V8 engine.
. This model competed for customers for three years with the Japan only Mitsubishi Proudia
, however Mitsubishi chose to use front wheel drive.
The new VK45DD
direct-injection V8 features in the Japanese Cima, alongside the VQ30DET, both producing 280 horsepower (209 kW). The V8 in the Infiniti version produces 340 horsepower (254 kW). A BOSE
sound system was offered in June 2002. A LHD version of this generation was offered for sale in China
at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2003. Due to tightening emissions restrictions, the turbocharged vehicle was no longer offered on the V6 engine starting July 2005. The Infiniti Q45
was no longer exported to the USA after MY 2006. This generation of the Cima is very similar to the Nissan President
.
has become the flagship in its lineup.
When the Fuga assumed the role as flagship sedan of Nissan Japan August 2010, it became the first time that Nissan didn't sell a premium luxury V8 sedan in Japan; the Fuga's North American cousin, the Infiniti M56
, is offered with a V8 shared with the Infiniti QX56.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese market. The car's name is derived from Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "summit". The hood ornament
Hood ornament
A hood/bonnet ornament, or radiator cap, or car mascot is a specially crafted model of something which symbolizes a car company like a badge, located on the front center portion of the hood...
uses an image of an acanthus leaf
Acanthus (genus)
Acanthus is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and warm temperate regions, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean Basin and Asia. Common names include Acanthus and Bear's breeches...
. The acanthus leaf was commonly used by classical Greeks
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
to make a wreath for use as a crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
.
The Cima has traditionally been Nissan's rival to the Toyota Crown Majesta
Toyota Crown Majesta
The Toyota Crown Majesta is a full-size premium luxury automobile. The Toyota Crown Majesta shares a stretched variant of the UZS platform series from the smaller Toyota Crown and Lexus GS/Toyota Aristo, however, it is not just a upper trim level of the Crown sedan, the Majesta is a separate car...
. The Cima in the first two generations was a more luxurious and larger version of the Cedric and Gloria, with the Cima sharing the V8 engine from the President. Later generations of the Cima shared the same platform as the President, with the Cima being a shorter version; these iterations of the Cima were exported to the United States as the Infiniti Q45
Infiniti Q45
The Infiniti Q45 was a full-size luxury car sold by Nissan's Infiniti marque from 1990 until 2006. It is a rear wheel drive, four-door sedan powered by a V8 engine. Early generations were based on the automaker's Japanese-market flagship sedan, the Nissan President, while models produced after 1997...
. The Q45 was discontinued after 2006, however the Cima and the President continued in production until August 2010, leaving the Nissan Fuga
Nissan Fuga
The Fuga is a full-size sedan, rear wheel drive with optional all wheel drive, produced by Nissan of Japan since October 2004 and now in its second generation. It is built on a wider, stretched wheelbase version of the Nissan FM platform. After the Nissan Cima and Nissan President were...
to become the lone flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
sedan.
The Nissan Cima was introduced in 1988 and was based on an elongated Cedric/Gloria chassis. With its phenomenal sales—about 64,000 units sold the first year and 120,000 in four years—the car became a symbol of the bubble economy. To date the Nissan Cima has sold over 278,000 units.
Y31 : January 1988–August 1991
Up until 1989, the Japanese taxTax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
bracket dictated a division point at the car being 4700 mm (185 in) long, 1700 mm (66.9 in) wide, with a 2 liter engine. Both the Nissan Cedric
Nissan Cedric
The Nissan Cedric is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family...
/Nissan Gloria
Nissan Gloria
The Gloria is a large luxury car made from 1959 by the Prince Motor Company, and later by Nissan Motors since its merger with the former - hence being originally marketed as Prince Gloria and later as Nissan Gloria...
and its archrival, the Toyota Crown
Toyota Crown
The Toyota Crown is a line of full-size luxury sedans by Toyota. The range was primarily available in Japan and some other Asian countries, originally designed to serve as a taxi...
were stretched to this very limit. When rumors came that Toyota was developing a larger, wider extension of the Crown, called the Crown Majesta
Toyota Crown Majesta
The Toyota Crown Majesta is a full-size premium luxury automobile. The Toyota Crown Majesta shares a stretched variant of the UZS platform series from the smaller Toyota Crown and Lexus GS/Toyota Aristo, however, it is not just a upper trim level of the Crown sedan, the Majesta is a separate car...
, Nissan acted hastily and could not get the wide version ready for the narrow version's launch in June 1987. The half-year gap in development, however, brought about many changes in design. This generation was manufactured as a 4 door hardtop, with no B-pillar between the front and rear side glass windows.
The Y31 Cima is available with a 200 horsepower (149 kW) VG30DE
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
or a 255 horsepower (190 kW) turbocharged VG30DET
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
. The turbocharged version was especially popular, leading the Japanese media to coin the term "the Cima phenomenon". The Cedric Cima was sold at dealerships where the Nissan Laurel
Nissan Laurel
In April 1968 Nissan presented its new Laurel in four-door deLuxe and Super deLuxe versions, both equipped with a 1.8 L inline-four cylinder engine and independent rear suspension. In summer 1970 a hardtop coupé joined the line-up, one year later a 2000 cc engine became available...
could be found in Japan, and the Gloria Cima was sold at Nissan dealerships that sold the Nissan Skyline
Nissan Skyline
The first Skyline was introduced in April 1957, by the Prince Motor Company, and was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L GA-30 engine producing 44 kW @ 4400 rpm. It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 140 km/h . The car weighed around 1300 kg...
. The Cima was available with an air suspension.
Y32 : August 1991–June 1996
Following the Y32 Cedric/Gloria's June 1991 launch, the Cima was redesigned and introduced in August 1991. The car is now simply known as the Cima. The styling was more luxury-oriented than the first-generation Cima.Initially the Cima was only available with the VH41DE, a short-stroke version of the VH45DE
Nissan VH engine
The VH series consists of 4.1 and 4.5 liter engines built from 1989-2001 by the Nissan Motor Corporation. The design consists of a 90 degree V8 with an aluminum cylinder block that features a closed upper deck and a deep skirt. The cylinder heads are also aluminum with a DOHC 4-valve design and...
found in the first Infiniti Q45
Infiniti Q45
The Infiniti Q45 was a full-size luxury car sold by Nissan's Infiniti marque from 1990 until 2006. It is a rear wheel drive, four-door sedan powered by a V8 engine. Early generations were based on the automaker's Japanese-market flagship sedan, the Nissan President, while models produced after 1997...
. The air suspension introduced in the previous generation was retained along with active suspension that was available on the USA-spec Infiniti Q45
Infiniti Q45
The Infiniti Q45 was a full-size luxury car sold by Nissan's Infiniti marque from 1990 until 2006. It is a rear wheel drive, four-door sedan powered by a V8 engine. Early generations were based on the automaker's Japanese-market flagship sedan, the Nissan President, while models produced after 1997...
. Its appearance was said to reflect a more British appearance, both inside and out. An analog clock, found on most USA-spec Infinitis during the same time period, also appeared in this vehicle. AWD and a V8 engine were also added to the options list.
Y33 : June 1996–January 2001
Unlike the previous, Japan-only models, this third-generation Cima was sold overseas—as the new Infiniti Q45. However, instead of the VH45DE engine, Nissan chose to continue using the VH41DENissan VH engine
The VH series consists of 4.1 and 4.5 liter engines built from 1989-2001 by the Nissan Motor Corporation. The design consists of a 90 degree V8 with an aluminum cylinder block that features a closed upper deck and a deep skirt. The cylinder heads are also aluminum with a DOHC 4-valve design and...
. This generation was made available as the USA-spec Infiniti Q45. AWD was still being offered in Japan only and it was the first car sold in Japan with side airbags as standard equipment. The styling seemed to resemble Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold at the time. This generation vehicle was used as a patrol car for the Saitama Prefectural Police Highway department. The primary competitor for this version is the Toyota Crown Majesta
Toyota Crown Majesta
The Toyota Crown Majesta is a full-size premium luxury automobile. The Toyota Crown Majesta shares a stretched variant of the UZS platform series from the smaller Toyota Crown and Lexus GS/Toyota Aristo, however, it is not just a upper trim level of the Crown sedan, the Majesta is a separate car...
which also has a V8 engine.
F50 : January 2001—August 2010
The fourth-generation Cima arrived in January 2001. The timing was early in the Nissan Revival Plan, so the Cima did not have the Skyline's FM platform. Instead, it features an updated version of the old platform, with a new rear suspension. However, Nissan's new design identity was thoroughly worked into both the exterior and interior. This Cima became known for its unique 7-reflector headlights. The Cima was sold in the USA as the Infiniti Q45Infiniti Q45
The Infiniti Q45 was a full-size luxury car sold by Nissan's Infiniti marque from 1990 until 2006. It is a rear wheel drive, four-door sedan powered by a V8 engine. Early generations were based on the automaker's Japanese-market flagship sedan, the Nissan President, while models produced after 1997...
. This model competed for customers for three years with the Japan only Mitsubishi Proudia
Mitsubishi Proudia
The Mitsubishi Proudia is a luxury car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors from late 1999, positioned just below the flagship Mitsubishi Dignity limousine in the company's range...
, however Mitsubishi chose to use front wheel drive.
The new VK45DD
Nissan VK engine
The VK engine is a V8 piston engine from Nissan. It is an aluminum DOHC 4-valve design.The VK56 engine was originally based on Nissan's VQ V6 rather than the VH V8 used in previous Q45/Cima models. Changes include: a variable polymer intake manifold, newly designed heads, and a larger drive by...
direct-injection V8 features in the Japanese Cima, alongside the VQ30DET, both producing 280 horsepower (209 kW). The V8 in the Infiniti version produces 340 horsepower (254 kW). A BOSE
Bose
Bose may refer to:* Amar Gopal Bose, the chairman and founder of Bose Corporation* Baise City, or Bose, a prefecture-level city in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China* Bose Corporation, an audio company* Bose , a lunar crater...
sound system was offered in June 2002. A LHD version of this generation was offered for sale in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2003. Due to tightening emissions restrictions, the turbocharged vehicle was no longer offered on the V6 engine starting July 2005. The Infiniti Q45
Infiniti Q45
The Infiniti Q45 was a full-size luxury car sold by Nissan's Infiniti marque from 1990 until 2006. It is a rear wheel drive, four-door sedan powered by a V8 engine. Early generations were based on the automaker's Japanese-market flagship sedan, the Nissan President, while models produced after 1997...
was no longer exported to the USA after MY 2006. This generation of the Cima is very similar to the Nissan President
Nissan President
The Nissan President was a Japanese luxury limousine produced by Nissan from 1965 to 2010. The car was mainly used by corporate executives and government officers. It was a luxury sedan specifically aimed to the Japanese market, where its main competitor was the Toyota Century.The President was...
.
Production ending announcement
In August 2010, Nissan announced that it had stopped the production of both the Nissan Cima and President, which share the same chassis. The two models needed safety upgrades to comply with the latest safety regulations, but lackluster sales showed that the company would not be able to recoup costs. In light of Nissan stopping development on a Cima/President successor, the Nissan FugaNissan Fuga
The Fuga is a full-size sedan, rear wheel drive with optional all wheel drive, produced by Nissan of Japan since October 2004 and now in its second generation. It is built on a wider, stretched wheelbase version of the Nissan FM platform. After the Nissan Cima and Nissan President were...
has become the flagship in its lineup.
When the Fuga assumed the role as flagship sedan of Nissan Japan August 2010, it became the first time that Nissan didn't sell a premium luxury V8 sedan in Japan; the Fuga's North American cousin, the Infiniti M56
Infiniti M
The "M" nameplate has been used on various mid-luxury cars from the Infiniti luxury division of Nissan.The first iteration was the M30 Coupe/Convertible, which were rebadged JDM Nissan Leopard....
, is offered with a V8 shared with the Infiniti QX56.
External links
- Japanese Market Nissan Cima Nissan Japan
- Nissan Sedan history (japanese site)