Nissan · 1960–2004

Nissan Cedric Y31

The Nissan Cedric (Japanese: 日産・セドリック, Nissan Sedorikku) is a large automobile produced by Nissan from 1960 to 2015. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family. In later years, the Nissan Skyline was positioned as a sports sedan/coupe, whereas the Nissan Gloria was turned into a sporty version of the Cedric (with identical styling but using a different radiator grille and front & rear light clusters). In Japan, the Cedric/Gloria series was affectionately called CedGlo, and this long-running series finally came to an end in October 2004, replaced by the Nissan Fuga. The Cedric name is still in use, on the Y31 series fleet vehicle traditionally used as a taxi, where it competes with the Toyota Comfort, and is still in production. Throughout the many versions of the Cedric, it was always considered to be the prime competitor to the Toyota Crown. The hood ornament was inspired by the diamond pattern used by Lincoln but was changed to two right angles set next to each other. The Cedric name was inspired by the main character, Cedric, in Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel Little Lord Fauntleroy by the Nissan CEO at the time Katsuji Kawamata.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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First generation (30/31; 1960)

The first Cedric was the "30" series, introduced in March 1960 and produced through 1962. It was available only at Japanese Nissan dealerships called Nissan Cedric Store. It was the first product labeled as a Nissan, but shared mechanicals with Datsun products built at the time. Several models were available, including the Cedric 1500 DeLuxe and Standard (30), Cedric 1900 Deluxe (D30, powered by the 1.9 L Nissan H engine), Cedric 1900 Custom (G30, also powered by the Nissan H engine), Cedric Van (V30, six-seater) and the Cedric Wagon (WP30, eight-seater). Only the Cedric Standard used a 1.5 L (1,488 cc) G-series straight-four engine which produced 71 PS (52 kW). The 1.9 L (1,883 cc) H-series with 88 PS (65 kW) was optional. A four-speed manual transmission with the top three gears synchronized was standard, with a three-speed manual fitted to 1900 versions. All four-cylinder engines were shared with the redesigned Nissan Junior and Nissan Caball. The Cedric replaced the Austin A50 Nissan was building under license from Austin Motor Company of England, which was called the Nissan Austin, and also benefited from earlier vehicles built by Nissan, called the Datsun DB Series. The six-seater Cedric introduced Nissan's first monocoque body and a wrap-around windshield. The first Cedric featured two stacked headlights on either side of a large grille (inspired by a late 1950s commuter train from Japan, the Tobu JNR 151). The taillights were the same as the Datsun Bluebird 312 and was considered a six-seater. April 1962 saw the introduction of a station wagon–van, able to seat eight people. The twin-stacked headlight approach, which first appeared on large North American and European vehicles in the late 1950s, was a novel approach to suggest size and luxurious accommodations,

Second generation (130; 1965)

Produced from 1965 through 1971, the P130 Cedric had Pininfarina bodywork and several new engine options on an all-new dedicated platform. Nissan's first OHC engine, the L20, was introduced in this generation Cedric. The modernized appearance was influenced by other Japanese luxury sedans of the period that introduced sleek, squared, and angular sedans, like the 1962 Toyota Crown and the 1964 Mitsubishi Debonair. Its appearance was not shared with the executive limousine flagship Nissan President and this generation of Cedric were both available at "Nissan Stores". In August 1966, Nissan Motor Company and Prince Motor Company merged. Starting in 1967, the Cedric was sold in various export markets, as the Datsun 2000/2300/2400 rather than "Nissan Cedric". There were three body styles available: a four-door sedan, five-door station wagon (Wagon Six from 1967, WP130, later WH130) and a five-door van (Van Six from 1968, also as Van Deluxe Six for 1970, VP130, later VH130) Trim levels offered were the four-cylinder 130 (later called Standard) for 1966–1967, as 130S for 1968–1970. The Deluxe Six (P130, 1967.5-1970), Custom Six (P130D, dropped after 1966, reintroduced in 1970 as H130V), Standard (later called Personal Six, P130S, G130S), Personal Deluxe Six (G130Q, H130Q, replaced Personal Six for 1970), Standard Diesel (later called Diesel, Q130), and Special Six (also called Super Six, H130 for 1966–1967, G130 for 1969–1970, G130V for 1968 Super Six). In 1967, there were 68 model variations of the Cedric. Unique to this generation, Nissan produced a police car fitted with the Y40 V8 engine; this was the only time Nissan installed a V8 engine in the Cedric. Engines: 1966–1971 2.0 L (1,983 cc) H20 OHV I4, 92 PS (68 kW) (4 Cylinder/Standard) 1966–1968 2.0 L (1,973 cc) J20 OHV

Third generation (230; 1971)

The 230 series was released in 1971 and was produced through 1975. The Cedric was now being built at the Tochigi factory location. The suspension configuration remained the same type as used in the second generation. Front disc brakes were added to the standard equipment list for some versions. The Cedric name was dropped for most export markets, with the car now called the Datsun 200C, 220C, 240C, or 260C. In many European markets this car was only available with the diesel engine, aiming in particular at the taxi market. The Cedric was exclusive to Japanese Nissan dealership network called Nissan Store as the private ownership luxury sedan to the shorter Nissan Laurel, while the Nissan Gloria, manufactured by the Prince Motor Company, was exclusive to Nissan Prince Store locations after the merger with Nissan, with the Nissan Skyline serving as the junior sedan and coupe to the Gloria. The 230 series was offered in four-door sedan and wagon, and saw the introduction of a two-door coupé. The coupé "personal luxury car" was introduced as a result of the 1970 Toyota Crown hardtop coupé. In August 1972, a four-door hardtop sedan, with no B-pillar between the front and rear passenger side windows, was added to the options list. This generation introduced a new appearance, called "coke bottle," which began to appear internationally during the 1960s and 1970s. The four-door hardtop had a standard interior dome light and a secondary fluorescent lamp that extended from the front to rear passenger seats, attached to the ceiling for ambient purposes. The 2.4-litre engine was replaced with a larger 2.6-litre version to conform to emission regulations enacted in April 1973 without losing performance. Vehicles installed with Nissan's new emission control technology, including fuel-

Fourth generation (330; 1975)

The 330 series Cedric was produced from 1975 through 1979. As with the 230, the 330 was offered as a Sedan, Wagon/Van, Coupé, and as a comparatively rare, pillarless Hardtop Sedan. Again, it was sold as the Gloria as well in the domestic Japanese market; in the export it was marketed as the 200C, 220C, 260C, and 280C (after 1978). The diesel engine returned, mainly for taxi usage, although there was initially also a Diesel Deluxe aimed at private buyers. For the same purpose, there was a version of the four-cylinder "H20" petrol engine which ran on LPG. Trim levels offered at the time of introduction were the Deluxe, Custom Deluxe, GL, GL-E, SGL, SGL-E, 2800SGL, and 2800SGL-E. The "SGL" designation stands for Senior Grade Level, and the "E" represents fuel injection. Japanese buyers of the larger-engined models were liable for higher road taxes. The top-of-the-line Brougham version also first appeared in this generation, in June 1977, at the same time that the range was facelifted. In Japan, the wagon bodystyle was sold exclusively as a van, aimed at commercial buyers, and only with the carburetted, two-litre L20S inline-six. The engines were further modified in June 1976 as emission control regulations were again adjusted, with the revised engines using the moniker Nissan NAPS. Model codes for petrol-engined cars were changed to 331, to reflect the engine changes. At the same time, halogen headlights were added and the luxurious F-series subvariant was introduced, only on the hardtop bodystyle (also available on the Gloria). Positioned just beneath the Brougham, "F" stood for fashionable. This was expressed by the fitment of rectangular headlamps, body-coloured hubcaps, and a higher quality audio system. The June 1977 was a very minor one, limited to changes to the gri

Fifth generation (430; 1979)

The 430 series was produced from 1979 through 1983. Engines largely carried over from the previous generation. Most export markets received the 2.8 L L28 OHC I6 or the new LD28 diesel version, and was called the Datsun 280C. For taxi use in Singapore and Hong Kong, the 2.2-liter diesel engine was still available in what was called the 220C; this model was also sold as a sedan or van in Japan until it was cancelled with the 1981 facelift. This was the first generation Cedric with available four-wheel disc brakes, although drums all around were fitted to the cheapest versions. Styling was achieved with the cooperation of Pininfarina, providing a cleaner image than the previous generation. The new model was a "six-light" design, with a small window in the C-pillar. The rear suspension was upgraded to a rigid link coil system. The two-door coupé was no longer offered, and was replaced by the Skyline-based Nissan Leopard luxury sports coupé. A four-door convertible version was made available in small numbers for special use. These were mainly bought by government entities for ceremonial use and the bodystyle was not offered on sale to the general public. The fashionable SGL-F variant appeared in April 1980, continuing from the "F" version which had been available in the previous generation. Priced only just below the less youthful Brougham, it was only available with the naturally aspirated 2.0-litre six and featured two-tone paint in light colors only, a glass sunroof, and a plush interior designed by the American Chatham Manufacturing Company. Beginning in August 1980, the six-cylinder 2.8-liter diesel was added to the Van and Wagon models in Japan. A lock-up torque converter was added to the four-speed automatic transmission, which was added in June 1982. This new transmi

Sixth generation (Y30; 1983)

The Y30 was sold from June 1983 through 1987. The diesel engine was popular for taxis in Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In Taiwan, the Y30 was sold as the Yue Loong Cedric 811 with a 2-litre four, or as the Cedric 830 with the three-litre VG30 six. This generation saw the introduction of the PLASMA engine family VG series V6, which was inspired by an Alfa Romeo design due to a partnership that Nissan and Alfa Romeo had at the time. The Cedric was offered in three bodystyles; four-door hardtop, four-door sedan and station wagon. The trim level packages were numerous and offered increasing amounts of technology and convenience features on top level platforms. The top level package for the hardtop was called the V30 Turbo Brougham VIP, followed by V30Turbo/V30E Brougham, V20 Turbo Brougham, V20 Turbo F, V20 Turbo/V20E/28D-6 SGL, and V20E/28D-6 GL. The top sedan trim package in the home market was the V30 Turbo Brougham VIP. Below it sat the V30 Turbo/V30E Brougham, the V20 Turbo Brougham, the V20 Turbo/V20E/28D-6 SGL, the V20E Custom Deluxe, the Deluxe/28D-6 Deluxe, and the Standard. The lower grade variants were mainly available for professional use. The installation of a turbocharger was to provide better fuel economy and reduce tailpipe emissions as the Japanese pay a tax on the amount of emissions their car produces. Beginning with the June 1985 facelift, Nissan offered a self-levelling suspension for the rear wheels on hardtop and sedan top trim packages. They also introduced "Super Sonic Suspension" system, which featured a sonar module mounted under the front bumper that scanned the road surface and adjusted the suspension accordingly via actuators mounted on all four MacPherson strut towers. There was also a switch next to the steering wheel that allowed the dri

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Nissan Cedric

Manufacturer

Nissan

Production

1960–2015, until 2004 for private buyers

Class

Executive car

Body style

2-door coupé, 4-door hardtop/sedan, 5-door wagon/van

Predecessor

Austin-Nissan A50

Related

Nissan Cima, Nissan Leopard, Nissan Crew, Nissan Gloria

Successor

Nissan Fuga

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7040928CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_CedricCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1369790844 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1989_Nissan_Cedric_01.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Mytho88 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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