In the long history of the Cedric / Gloria, the Y32 (i.e. the 8th generation for the Cedric, 9th for the Gloria) is the anti-climax of the saga. At this point in the story, the prestige-oriented Nissan’s hitherto remarkably stable success started to fray, caught in a perfect storm of its maker’s questionable stewardship, competition both internal and external, and a stifling economic climate.
June 1991: the launch of the Y32 coincides with the implosion of the Japanese economic bubble. Up to that point, the Japanese clientele was insatiably demanding ever more gadget-laden luxury saloons – Crowns, Glorias, Luces, it was all snapped up eagerly. Then the economy went south and demand vanished virtually overnight, catching Nissan and their new Cedric / Gloria / Cima by surprise.
It wasn’t just Nissan, either. Toyota had just launched a new Crown, further augmented by the Majesta V8 sister model, and nobody wanted those any longer. Mitsubishi’s new Debonair was struggling too. Mazda was in the process of trying to evolve though engineering several new brands, kind of like what Honda had done with Acura or Nissan with Infiniti, but ineptly and on the JDM, not abroad. A big bath was taken by all concerned.
Cutthroat competition for a shrinking market was a big part of the problem for the Cedric / Gloria. The other big problem was that the Y32 range was pitched at a higher level than before, while being squeezed between the formal Y31 saloon, which the more conservative folks preferred, and the fancier Cima, Nissan’s surprise hit of the late ’80s. The new Cima shared the Y32 platform and its new multilink IRS, but was available with a V8 and its own sheetmetal, making it a deadly rival for the attention of Nissan aficionados. After all, if you’re going to buy a big car, why not go all the way?
The twin Cedric / Gloria nameplate itself was kind of broken, too. The wagon was stuck on the live axle Y30 generation and the standard Y31 formal saloon stayed on even after the Y32 appeared, turning the range into a bit of a confusing mess. The Y32 was therefore repositioned as a high-trim luxury hardtop – though it was now a “pillared hardtop,” i.e. a four-door with frameless windows. The point of this exercise was to make the car appear distinctive, yet provide enough strength for the roof. It would take about a decade for this somewhat absurd notion to become irrelevant, but it was all the rage in the early ‘90s. Either through inertia or a lack of a plan B, the exact same set-up was repeated for the next generation Y33 (1995-99).
In essence, the Y32 Cedric / Gloria was available either as a “sporty” or a “luxury” car. The former were Gran Turismos, with quad headlamps and spoilers, the latter were the Broughams, with the Japanese equivalent of gingerbread (ginger rice?), I guess.
Peeking inside our feature car, a lower-trim Brougham, makes it seem like a tidy package, but not overwhelmingly luxurious. That makes sense, as you would want the really fancy grade cars to look more impressive by comparison. It seems that this did not pan out so well though, as the Y32 Brougham VIP was apparently a notoriously big bomb – the more expensive end of the range was utterly cannibalized by the Cima.
For the first time, 4-cyl. engines were unavailable on a new Cedric / Gloria. The lower-tier Broughams were available with the smaller 2-litre V6 and the 2.8 litre Diesel straight-6, all cars could be had with the 3-litre and only the higher grades and sporty ones got the turbocharged V6. Our feature car could have anything – the 2-litre V6 and the Diesel are the most likely, as getting a lower tax band would be the main reason for getting a lower-trim car like this.
The ‘90s were a slow-motion luxury car pile-up on the JDM, a mass extinction event. Mazda and Mitsubishi eventually gave up this segment by the late ‘90s / early ‘00s. The Toyota Crown and the Honda Legend managed to survive, not unscathed but still standing. For Nissan, the Y32’s lackluster sales did not kill the twin nameplate outright, but it certainly signified the beginning of the end. The Cedric / Gloria stopped evolving after the Y34 in 1999 (a.k.a the Infiniti M45) and eventually disappeared, alongside the Cima and the President, as part of the great nameplate cull of the Ghosn era. The Fuga (a.k.a Infiniti M and Q70) had arrived, becoming the one-size-fits-all big RWD Nissan. Rational? Maybe. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it.
There is a difference between a cheap car and an inexpensive one, this isn’t a cheap car but in this trim level it sure looks very inexpensive…on the outside, especially.
I am trying to look back 25 years and remember if two-toning was still a thing, a medium grey lower half to this car might make it more appealing to look at. As it sits in these pictures, it has an anonymous look to it, like a fleet car for a government office.
As an American, probably the most interesting aspect of this car would be the multitude of available power plants.
But yeah, the almost ridiculously wide range of possible specs among the body styles was both incredible and a sure factor in the near financial collapse of Nissan in the 90s.
Lincoln called and wants the Continental’s hood ornament returned.
The hood ornament looks like it was inspired by Oldsmobile’s. The rest of it should have succeeded the Volvo 960.
The interior is splendidly plain, almost austere but I really like it, especially in the caramel colour. This period of car is pleasing – the phase where essentially square cars were subject to more and more rounding. You can still perceive the early 80s in the overall shape though and I like that alot. What a charming machine.
I must admit the different nameplates is baffling. I´d have to see a graphic version of this to really take it in.
About the nameplates – you have to wonder whether the Japanese found it as baffling as we do. We had them here until the mid-80s, and I find it confusing! For decades it was Cedric or Gloria (ex-Prince), then all of a sudden Cima appears and creams off the top of the Cedric/Gloria ranges. Fuga sounds like an etymologically-challenged version of the Fugu fish – wonder if that was intentional? Certainly prestigious if so – but was it a poisonous dish for Nissan?
CC-in-scale doesn’t have one of these Cedrics (but the kits are out there), but here’s a later Cima – actually an Impul F55.
I’ve always found the lines on these upmarket Nissans from this era pleasing. Particularly from the side view, their flanks a whisper of Pininfarina designs of the 70’s like the Rolls Royce Camargue or the Fiat 130 Coupe.
Spare and unadorned.
Quietly elegant – maybe a bit too quietly?
Yes, it suggests the earliest versions of the car from the 60s. This kind of automotive design is very satisfying to gaze at. If I went to Japan I think my head would spin – I´d not get far down the street as I tried to take in the automotive novelties. If you look at the side view, the C-pillar is placed ideally, right over the wheel. It´s very neat and restrained.
Yet elegance would be something demonstrated quietly, with restraint. Yes, a fine line between boring and elegant. But for a broughamy sedan, it beckons with a promise of competent serenity.
Then there’s the angry hungry mutant insect look so prevalent with current Japanese offerings. To see both examples on the same street would tend to set your head spinning!
I’ve not been aware of this car, and it looks a bit odd to me. Like one of those insurance company ads where the make a real car look like something anonymous and unrecognizable. It looks like its been scrubbed of features that used to be there.
I guess it’s juts the transition from the boxy late ’80s to the smooth and rounded 90s, and this is right in between, and not in a good way.
If I had been shown the top picture and not told what it was, I’d struggle to identify the brand. Something from Kazakhstan in the 00s.
Consider me a fan.
sure, its a bit bland, but its also really nicely proportioned and cleanly styled, with no unnecessary frippery.
Give it some deep dark paint, and it would look quite VIP.
Interior looks great – super clean, and restrained.
only slightly odd thing is the taillights, which look just a bit off, compared to the boot shape.
i can see what they were going for, but they didn’t quite pull it off.
I am with bjarne. I think we like it for the reasons Paul doesn´t!
yeah, that kind of subtle styling isn’t for everyone, and especially not in todays market.
Taillights – I think they were going for the XJ40 Jaguar.
yeah, i was thinking of Jaguar too.
Should have tapered the rear bumper a bit upwards to make them work, as now its a bit too flat and heavy looking – jag makes them work because the rear is so pinched together.
The third Hyundai Grandeur stole this car’s window lines and proportions like a pro. Even the interior is 90% there. Judge for yourself:
I can only presume, good Dr T, that you are good at wiring and think that cooked spaghetti is an organized arrangement, for I cannot otherwise fathom how you fathom the entanglement of these various JDM cars.
I mean, the 8th Cedric, the 9nth Gloria, not even in excelcis deo? I’ll light a votive candle for you – you might find your way out of the labyrinth.
All that can politely be said of this Cedric the Last is that…well, how to put it…he has been shaved, if not entirely waxed, and isn’t shy about displaying such.
This wasn’t quite Cedric the Last. There was a Y33, which as far as I can see just had a clean side skin lacking that front to rear crease. That’s the only thing that says ‘different model’ to me.
And speaking of models, I don’t have that one either.