[1] It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family.

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.

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 new front with its horizontally mounted quad headlights shows a resemblance to the 1956 Rambler and Fiat 2300 limousine, which made the car 18 cm (7 in) longer.

[4] The Cedric Special was produced between 1963 and 1965 as competition to the Toyota Crown, Isuzu Bellel, Mitsubishi Debonair and Prince Gloria.

Due to the larger 2.8 L engine used in the Cedric Special, Japanese buyers are liable for a higher annual road tax which added to its exclusivity.

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.

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-injected models, could be identified by a NAPS badge on the trunk lid.

[9] 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.

[10] In February 1983, the "Excellence" trim was added to help sell the last 430 cars before the introduction of the new Y30, fitted with either the turbocharged or the fuel injected L20 engine.

This model approached the top Brougham's trim, but occupied a lower tax bracket and featured special two-tone paint.

[14] It was originally only available with an automatic transmission; a five-speed model arrived in February 1980 (Vans and Wagons only received the manual option three months later).

Beginning June 1985, Nissan offered a self-levelling suspension for the rear wheels on hardtop and sedan top trim packages.

[19] There was also a switch next to the steering wheel that allowed the driver to change between "Auto", "Soft", "Medium" and "Hard" settings.

Nissan introduced a PIN activated keyless entry feature on the front exterior door handles.

The level of comfort, convenience items and chassis technology was vast in relation to other products offered at the time, and the buyer could choose from seemingly endless options.

Some of the items included a digitally synthesized AM stereo/FM stereo radio tuner with the ability to listen to broadcast TV stations, and a cassette tape player with recording feature to function as a dictaphone, stereo and cruise control buttons integrated into a fixed position steering wheel hub, and sonar-based backup sensors installed in the rear bumper.

[20] The wagon trim packages were the V20E SGL at the top, with an optional DI-NOC woodgrain appearance, the V20E/28D-6 GL, and the V20E Deluxe.

As a result of Project 901, the styling of this generation was more rounded, and additional attention was given to luxury accommodations and optional features.

The sporty Gran Turismo version has short bumpers with a body kit and is powered by a 2.0-liter VG20DET engine, which replaced the previous generation SGL, GL.

The Sedan version of the Y31 received a light facelift at the launch of the Hardtop Y32, and it was still in production up to 2015 for the Japanese rental fleet and taxi markets.

New items that appeared were the replacement of a broadcast TV tuner with a Sony CD player coupled with JBL speakers and a humidifier for backseat passengers.

"Super Sonic Suspension" was no longer offered, and instead, the MacPherson struts were optionally installed with internal air chambers combined with trailing lower control arms.

In June 1989 the Nissan Cedric with the VG20DET offered the world's first full range electronically controlled 5-speed automatic transmission.

The performance oriented Gran Turismo reverted to four round headlights, giving the vehicle a similar appearance to the BMW 7 Series sedan sold at the time.

Interior lighting operates gradually when any door is opened, a shortwave radio tuner is included with the stereo system, and maintenance reminders are also added.

Export versions generally received the VG30E engine, with outputs from 130 to 143 PS (96 to 105 kW) depending on the octane rating.

Older models of the Cedric appeared in many various Asian movies and TV dramas on different roles, most prominently as taxis (especially in Hong Kong) as well as police cars.