QX50

Make
Infiniti
Segment
SUV

The Nissan Cima is dead. Why should you care about the death of a fancy Nissan technically never sold in the USA?

Well, it's another significant sign that the humble sedan is currently on life support and manufacturers are more than eager to pull the plug. The Cima used to be a clear statement of wealth in a country where the government has clear rules on how big a car is allowed to be unless you want to pay a huge tax bill.

Nissan launched the Cima in the late 1980s, just as Japan's economy started booming. Nissan sold 36,000 during the first year, enough for the car to get a phenomenon name after it. In short, the Cima Phenomenon was Japanese citizens spending buckets of money on luxury items, one of which was this luxury sedan.

The first and second-generation Cima were JDM products, but the third-gen model was launched in other markets in 1996. That was back when sedans were still highly sought after, though Nissan badged it as the Infiniti Q45 for different markets. The last and final version was sold as the Q70L in the USA, though it was an in-between model that didn't know what it wanted to be.

The modern equivalent is the Infiniti Q50, though most US customers would likely opt for the QX50 crossover.

Nissan is canceling the Cima for two reasons. First, the Japanese giant is pouring its money into electric vehicles. Secondly, the current ICE Cima does not meet Japan's newly introduced noise standards.

The third reason is quite embarrassing. While Nissan may have sold 36,000 Cimas during its first year on sale, it only managed to sell 75 units in 2021.

If you take a closer look at the history, it appears Nissan planned to ax the Cima much earlier. There was a two-year production gap from 2010 to 2012, but Nissan started production again following dealer and customer demand.

The result was a poorly received hybrid version of the Cima, which also didn't help the poor sedan's cause.

It's not all bad news, however. Nissan and its alliance partners can now spend $26 billion on EVs. Late last year Nissan unveiled four EV concepts, including an SUV, a truck, a roadster, and a compact crossover.

While it's sad to see another famous sedan die, it does seem like it's for a good cause. The man behind the current GT-R is in charge of making Nissan's EVs fun to drive.

Seems like a decent trade-off.