Nissan Cedric

• Four generations here: the Y31 (17 June 1987), Y32 (1991), Y33 (June 1995) and Y34 (28 June 1999).
• Hardtop from 1991: the Y32, Y33 and Y34 are four-door hardtops, while the Y31 also had a four-door sedan.
• Y31 taxi: Nissan Shatai reports that Y31 Cedric production ended in September 2014.
• Engines: VG V6 and RD28 diesel in the Y31 and Y32, the VQ V6 from the Y33, and the RB25DET in the FOUR grades.
• Cedric and Gloria differ: for the Y34 Nissan documents separate positioning, dealers and grade names, and 300ULTIMA and 300TX are Gloria grades.
• Fuga: on sale 14 October 2004; a contemporary report says Nissan did not call it a Cedric successor.

• Sold alongside the Gloria
• Rear-wheel drive in the grades documented here, with four-wheel-drive FOUR grades from the 1997 Y33 revision
• VG and VQ V6 petrol engines, the RD28 diesel and the RB25DET inline-six in the FOUR grades
• Y31 sedan built until September 2014

Dates are Nissan's Japanese launch or sale dates unless stated. Each generation page has its own specification tables and checklist.

Generation names are broad families. The factory chassis codes below identify the variants represented in JDMBUYSELL's current Nissan Cedric guide data.

Y31 (1987–2014; hardtop replaced June 1991, sedan built to September 2014)

Chassis codes: Y31, QJY31, UY31, and PY31

Y32 (1991–1995; June 1991 debut, replaced June 1995)

Chassis codes: Y32 and PAY32

Y33 (1995–1999; June 1995 debut, catalogued to May 1999)

Chassis codes: Y33, UY33, PY33, HY33, HBY33, MY33, and ENY33

Y34 (1999–2004; on sale 28 June 1999, catalogued to October 2004)

Chassis codes: Y34, HY34, and MY34

Confirm the complete code on the vehicle's frame or VIN plate; drivetrain, body, and market variants can use different prefixes within one generation family.

This guide covers Japanese-market Cedrics and uses Nissan's Japanese ratings in PS and kW. Nissan's fiscal 2001 fact file lists a Cedric Taxi for Hong Kong and Singapore, so not every Cedric was Japan-only; export specifications are not described here.

Engine options

How many Cedric generations does this guide cover?

Four: the Y31 (17 June 1987), Y32 (1991), Y33 (June 1995) and Y34 (28 June 1999). Nissan Heritage counts the Y31 as the seventh-generation Cedric, so earlier generations exist but are not covered here.

How is the Cedric different from the Gloria?

They share each generation, but for the 1999 Y34 Nissan documents separate positioning, dealers and grade names: Cedric as noble through Nissan and Motor dealers, Gloria as dynamic through Sunny and Prince dealers. From December 2001 the Gloria had round four-lamp headlamps and Gran Turismo grades.

Was the Cedric a taxi?

The Y31 sedan was built as a taxi and stayed in production after the hardtop was replaced; Nissan Shatai reports production ended in September 2014. Taxi cars use different engines from the passenger cars.

Which Cedrics had the RB25DET?

The four-wheel-drive grades. Miki Press says a 235 PS RB25DET four-wheel-drive Y33 was added, and the Y34 250LV FOUR and 250L FOUR use it at 260 PS. The Y34 40th Anniversary was not an RB25DET car.

Was the Fuga the Cedric's successor?

Nissan put the Fuga on sale on 14 October 2004. A contemporary Response report says Nissan's position was that it was not a successor to the Cedric and Gloria, and Nissan Shatai kept building the Y31 Cedric until September 2014.

Can I import a Cedric to the US or Canada?

The US 25-year rule is judged on each car's own build date (49 CFR 591.5(i)), not on model year or launch date. EPA's exemption for vehicles at least 21 years old requires the original engine model and configuration, or an equivalent or newer EPA-certified replacement engine. Canada uses 15 years, counted from the month and year of manufacture.