Almost all Cefiro's were marketed as four-door sedans, though a five-door wagon body style was briefly available (1997–2000).

Nissan marketed the Cefiro in the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) as well as worldwide, the latter under numerous badge-engineered nameplates, including as the Nissan Maxima (North America, Australia), Samsung SM5 (Korea), Infiniti I30 and Infiniti I35 (North America) and Maxima QX (Europe, Russia).

The first generation Cefiro (internally designated the A31, 1988-1994), used rear-wheel drive; offered four- and six-cylinder engines; and became popular in motorsport drifting.

The ATTESA E-TS AWD drivetrain was offered after the mid-model refresh and was borrowed from the Skyline, which the Laurel traditionally shared.

Brand new, the Cefiro was slightly more expensive than the equivalent Nissan Skyline/Laurel and benefited from Project 901 offered for the first time projector beam headlights, automatic tinting rear vision cabin mirror, electrically adjustable seats, automatic headlights, and steering wheel mounted radio controls.

There was also a switch on the center console that allowed the driver to change between "Auto," "Soft," "Medium," and "Hard" settings.

Its equipment and features helped justify the moderately high annual road tax bill to Japanese buyers.

There were also minor changes to the interior and the trim around the door frames, while ABS and airbags became standard across the range in the home market.

The JDM Cefiro was also offered as a wagon beginning in June 1997 as an alternative to the Toyota Mark II Qualis.

The "Brougham VIP" trim received different wheel designs, a unique pagcor emblem, automatic climate control, and a power moon roof.

Nissan released its A33 series in December 1998 initially as the JDM Cefiro, subsequently marketing badge engineered variants worldwide — prominently under its North American Infiniti brand as the I30 and I35.

In most Southeast Asian countries, the A33 was manufactured until 2008 as the 3.0 Brougham VIP and Excimo 2.0 G under license by Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Engine power increased to 227 hp (169 kW) and the manual transmission was no longer offered in North America (it remained available in the Middle East).

Compared to the similar Nissan Maxima, the I30 included a more powerful engine with a variable capacity muffler and an additional fenderwell air intake, different front and rear body styling, gauge cluster design, a foot-pedal parking brake (as compared to the Maxima's center console mounted lever), center dashboard design, the availability of a rear sunshade, and standard drivers seat memory.

The I30t ("touring"), equipped included High-Intensity Discharge (HID) xenon headlamps with darker colored headlamp surrounds, a viscous limited-slip differential, larger 17" wheels, and the availability of a Sport Package which consisted of a rear decklid-mounted spoiler and side-sill body extensions.

[8] The I35 nameplate reflected the new engine, a 3.5 liter VQ35DE V6, producing 255 hp (190 kW) and teamed with a four-speed automatic transmission.

Other revisions from its predecessor included the painted (rather than chromed) door handles, horizontal front grill, high-intensity xenon headlights, standard fog lights, revised trunk lid, combination lamps, larger badging, and low-restriction exhaust with chrome finishers.

The I35 featured a coefficient of drag of .31 (.30 where equipped with a rear spoiler),[9] an interior passenger volume of 120 cubic feet, and a 62/38 front/rear weight bias.

The Sport option included a system marketed as Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) which made engine changes and deployed a brake to inhibit sliding behavior.

[9] Interior features included leather-appointed seats (marketed as Sojourner premium leather, at least in one instance reportedly developed in Florence, Italy)[11] with seatback embroidered Infiniti logo (2003-2004); simulated birdseye maple accents on the center console (expanded to include vertical ashtray and surround 2003-2004) and leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel,[10] eight-way power-adjustable driver seat with manual lumbar support;[12] driver's seat automatic entry/exit system that moves the seat fore/aft on entry/exit; 14.9 cubic feet trunk capacity;[12] trunk-mounted first aid kit and emergency inside trunk-release; temporary spare tire;[9] automatic temperature control system, driver's two position seat memory with entry/exit assist system, analog clock, HVAC microfilter ventilation system with reusable, washable filter, titanium-color accented gated shifter with simulated birdseye maple gearshift knob, front seatback pockets, electro-luminescent instrument cluster with multi-function trip computer, universal transceiver with rolling code feature, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls,[9] automatic anti-glare rear view mirror with compass;[9] stainless steel sill plates[9] and an optional navigation system with dash-mounted power flip-up monitor.

Standard equipment also included a Bose 200-watt, 7-speaker premium audio system with AM/FM in-dash 6-disc CD changer, steering wheel audio controls, speed-sensitive volume control, radio RDS function and dual in-glass diversity antennas; power-operated rear sunshade, 8-way power driver's seat and 4-way power passenger's seat; High Intensity Discharge (HID) xenon headlights, body-color outside door handles; electromagnetic trunk and fuel door release, remote keyless entry with fob-operated front window auto-down and key operated up/down; retained accessory power; automatic anti-glare rearview mirror with integrated digital compass, and lockable split- folding rear seats.

[10] Options groups included the Sunroof and Sunshade Package with moonroof (with variable control switch in place of a rocker-type switch) and rear power sunshade (optional 2002-2003, standard equipment 2004); Cold Weather Package with heated front (and rear, Canada) seats, leather-wrapped heated steering wheel (with deleted simulated maple accents) and heated outside mirrors with timer; and Sport package with 8-spoke champagne-tinted 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and P225/50R17 V-rated tires, Vehicle Dynamic Control, sport-tuned suspension and side sill extensions.

[13] Individual options included 8-spoke chrome-finished 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels; navigation system with power-retractable color LCD screen, trunk-mounted 6-disc CD autochanger; side sill extensions: side rocker sill moldings, rear spoiler and a full-size spare tire with aluminum-alloy wheel (reducing available cargo room).