The is a
mid-size
Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...
sedan produced by Japanese automobile manufacturer
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
. It was exported as the Nissan Maxima and
Nissan Cefiro
The is a front-engine, five passenger, mid-size passenger car manufactured and marketed by Nissan Motors over three generations. Almost all Cefiro's were marketed as four-door sedans, though a five-door wagon body style was briefly available (19 ...
to certain markets. It replaces the
Nissan Bluebird
The is a compact car with a model name introduced in 1957. It has been Nissan's most internationally recognized sedan, in multiple body styles, and is known for its dependability and durability. The Bluebird originated from Nissan's first vehic ...
,
Laurel
Laurel may refer to:
Plants
* Lauraceae, the laurel family
* Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel
People
* Laurel (given name), people with the given name
* Laurel (surname), people with the surname
* Laurel (mus ...
and Cefiro. It shares a platform with the
Nissan Maxima
The Nissan Maxima is a full-size car manufactured and marketed by Nissan and offered as Nissan's flagship sedan primarily in North America, the Middle East, and China — and currently in its eighth generation. Having debuted for model year 1 ...
and
Nissan Altima which are sold in North America, as well as the Japanese market
Presage minivan. The Teana has been available in East Asia, Russia, Ukraine, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and the Caribbean.
As of 2007 the Teana shares its platform with its French cousin, the
Renault Laguna
The Renault Laguna is a large family car that was manufactured and marketed by Renault for 21 years in three body styles: hatchback, coupé, and estate. The first generation Laguna was launched in 1994, the second generation was introduced in 200 ...
and
Renault Latitude
The Renault Latitude is an executive car produced by the French automaker Renault, and announced in June 2010. It debuted at the Moscow International Automobile Salon, at the end of August 2010. The Latitude served as the company's flagship vehic ...
in most of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and in Southeast Asia as the
Renault Samsung SM5
The Renault Samsung SM5 is a mid-size car or large family car (D-segment in Europe) produced by the South Korean manufacturer Renault Samsung Motors, with technical assistance from Japanese automaker Nissan. Between 1998 and 2012, Renault Samsung ...
.
With the introduction of the Teana, Nissan continued the J lineage for the model codes (J31 and J32) from the
Nissan Maxima (J30). Starting with the introduction of the third generation in 2013, the Teana became a
badge engineered
In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a manu ...
version of the North American Altima. The Teana nameplate was retired in 2020, being replaced by the
L34 Altima or discontinued without any successor in some markets.
The name "
Teana
Teana is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata.
The name Teana is a derivative of the Greek word "Theano", the wife of Pythagoras, the philosopher and mathematician. Local legend stat ...
" is from that of a small village in Italy, sharing a naming influence for the
Nissan Murano
The is a mid-size crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Nissan since May 2002 for the 2003 model year, and currently in its third generation.
As Nissan's first crossover SUV for the United States and Canada, the Murano was designed at Nissan ...
which was released in the same era, which was named after another city in Italy.
First generation (J31; 2003)
The J31 series Teana was first introduced in February 2003 to the Japanese market as a sedan companion to the
Murano
Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about north of Venice and measures about across with a population of just over 5,000 (2004 figures). It is famous for its glass making. It was on ...
with both vehicles exclusive to Japanese Nissan dealerships called ''
Nissan Red Stage
, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun brands, ...
''. It replaced the
Bluebird
The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas.
...
and
Cefiro in Japan, along with the
Laurel
Laurel may refer to:
Plants
* Lauraceae, the laurel family
* Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel
People
* Laurel (given name), people with the given name
* Laurel (surname), people with the surname
* Laurel (mus ...
. It was considered one level below the
Skyline
A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land.
City skyline ...
. The car was introduced with an optionally available internet-based, telematics and GPS navigation system called
CarWings
CarWings, renamed NissanConnect in 2015, and also branded as Infiniti InTouch is a vehicle telematics service offered by the Nissan Motor Company to drivers in Japan, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and most other countries where the LE ...
to Japanese drivers only.
The J31 Teana follows the same chassis number pattern as the
Maxima (J30).
Despite being largely unrelated to its longrunning
Cefiro line, Nissan marketed the Teana using the ''Cefiro'' nameplate in Hong Kong, Singapore, Mauritius, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Latin America and Caribbean while it was sold under the name of Teana in Japan, Thailand, Philippines, India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. The car was marketed as the Maxima in Australia and New Zealand.
In most of the world, the Teana was Nissan's largest front-wheel drive sedan, while the Skyline and
Fuga
Fuga Island is an island and barangay located north of Luzon and is part of the Babuyan Islands, which is the second-northernmost island group of the Philippines. Barangay Fuga Island is one of the 42 barangays under the jurisdiction of the munic ...
are rear-wheel drive, with optional all-wheel drive.
It was introduced a month later to other Asian markets like Singapore. In 2004 the car arrived on European shores, replacing the
Maxima QX.
Powering the Teana was either a 1998 cc, 2349 cc or 3498 cc engine matched to automatic transmissions. Power outputs vary somewhat between the different markets. Trim levels were 200JK, 230JK, 230JM and 350JM. The car was based on the
Nissan FF-L platform
The Nissan FF-L is an automobile platform for front wheel drive automobiles. It has been a huge success for the company, along with the rear wheel drive Nissan FM platform. FF-L cars are built at Nissan's Smyrna, Tennessee factory, and the M ...
. In December 2005, the Teana received new headlights and taillights, chrome trimming on the bumpers, enlarged foglights, front legrests and newly designed gauges. The car was also shortened slightly, and the clear rear turn signals were replaced by amber ones. XTronic CVT was also mated to all the engines.
In mainland China, the Teana was manufactured by the
Dongfeng Motor Company
Dongfeng Motor Company Limited (abb. DFL), most commonly known in English-language sources as Dongfeng Nissan,In Chinese sources, () most commonly refers to Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company, a DFL subsidiary. is a Chinese automobile m ...
, a joint venture with Nissan. In Taiwan, it was manufactured by
Yulon Motor
Yulon Motor Co., Ltd. () is a Taiwanese automaker and importer. Taiwan's biggest automaker as of 2010, Yulon is known for building Nissan models under license. The original romanization of the company's name is Yue Loong, but in 1992 the company ...
. In the neighbouring country of Pakistan, the Teana was known as the
Cefiro and was assembled in Karachi. Additionally, it was sold in India, Russia, Ukraine as well as in New Zealand and Australia where it competes with the locally produced
Mitsubishi 380
The Mitsubishi 380 is a mid-size car that was produced between 2005 and 2008 by Mitsubishi Motors Australia. Available only as a sedan, it marked the end of Australian production by the Japanese manufacturer.
The 380, given the model designatio ...
and
Toyota Aurion
The Toyota Aurion is a mid-size car produced by Toyota in Australia and parts of Asia from 2006 to 2017. In the two generations it was produced, the Aurion was derived from the equivalent Camry. Changes were mainly limited to revised front- a ...
under the Maxima badge. The first generation Teana was also assembled in Thailand for sale in the Southeast Asian market.
A restyled version was sold in South Korea as the
Renault Samsung SM7
The Renault Samsung SM7 is an executive car or full-size car ( E-segment in Europe) that was produced by the South Korean manufacturer Renault Samsung Motors from 2004 to 2020.
First generation (EX2)
In October 2002, Renault Samsung Motors s ...
. In January 2005, Renault Samsung announced a lower-specification version of the Teana which it sold as the second generation (A34R)
Renault Samsung SM5
The Renault Samsung SM5 is a mid-size car or large family car (D-segment in Europe) produced by the South Korean manufacturer Renault Samsung Motors, with technical assistance from Japanese automaker Nissan. Between 1998 and 2012, Renault Samsung ...
and, from 2008, as the
Renault Safrane
The Renault Safrane is an executive car (E-segment in Europe) designed and built by the French manufacturer Renault from 1992 until 2000. Throughout its production it remained the most expensive and most luxurious Renault available, although it ...
.
In some countries, the 200JK was not sold. This was replaced by the 230JK, basically a 230JM with less equipment. In Australia, the Maxima was sold in ST-L, Ti and Ti-L trim levels. The Ti-L trim was dropped after the facelift in 2005.
In 2008, Nissan stopped production of the J31 but production continued in Thailand until 2009.
Engines and specifications
The first generation Teana utilized a number of engines, namely the QR20DE, VQ23DE and a slightly detuned version of the VQ35DE.
Second generation (J32; 2008)
Nissan revealed the second generation, redesigned Teana at the 2008
Beijing Auto Show
Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, Beijing Motor Show or Auto China () is an auto show held biennially in Beijing, China since 1990. China is currently the largest auto market in the world.
2020
The 2020 Auto China show was due to open ...
.
The new Teana is based on the
Nissan D platform
, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun brands, ...
also used by the new North American
Nissan Maxima
The Nissan Maxima is a full-size car manufactured and marketed by Nissan and offered as Nissan's flagship sedan primarily in North America, the Middle East, and China — and currently in its eighth generation. Having debuted for model year 1 ...
and
Nissan Altima. Engine choices include a 3498 cc V6, a 2495 cc V6, a 2488 cc in-line four and 1997 cc in-line four, all with a
continuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change seamlessly through a continuous range of gear ratios. This contrasts with other transmissions that provide a limited number of gear ratios in fixed steps. T ...
. The car's design was previewed by the Intima concept car shown in October 2007.
The car was launched in Japan, Taiwan, India, Iran, Mauritius, Russia, China, Brunei, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia.
This generation was not sold in Europe, where its French cousin, the
Renault Laguna
The Renault Laguna is a large family car that was manufactured and marketed by Renault for 21 years in three body styles: hatchback, coupé, and estate. The first generation Laguna was launched in 1994, the second generation was introduced in 200 ...
was offered, alongside the longer
Renault Latitude
The Renault Latitude is an executive car produced by the French automaker Renault, and announced in June 2010. It debuted at the Moscow International Automobile Salon, at the end of August 2010. The Latitude served as the company's flagship vehic ...
.
Nissan continues to offer an optionally available internet-based, telematics and GPS navigation system called
CarWings
CarWings, renamed NissanConnect in 2015, and also branded as Infiniti InTouch is a vehicle telematics service offered by the Nissan Motor Company to drivers in Japan, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and most other countries where the LE ...
to Japanese drivers only.
From J32 and up, on Nissan Teana models, the
car stereo
Vehicle audio is equipment installed in a car or other vehicle to provide in-car entertainment and information for the vehicle occupants. Until the 1950s it consisted of a simple AM radio. Additions since then have included FM radio (1952), ...
system had a feature called Music Box that allowed users to record
CDs
The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...
and listen to them. This is the same case with the Maxima and Altima.
The Teana shares most of the platform and mechanicals with its North American cousin, the
Altima which is built and sold primarily in North America. The J32 has been sold in Australia as a Maxima since June 2009 with model designations of 250 ST-L, 350 ST-S and 350 Ti. These models have features unique to Australia and New Zealand including alloy wheel design, rear spoiler and interior upholstery fittings. In late 2011, all three Australian models received an equipment upgrade, with prices remaining unchanged. The Cefiro nameplate has been discontinued on the second-generation line.
File:2010 Nissan Teana 250 XV 2.5 J32 (20190316).jpg, 2010 Nissan Teana 250 XV (J32; pre-facelift, Indonesia)
File:NISSAN TEANA VIP (J32) China (cropped).jpg, Nissan Teana VIP (J32; pre-facelift, China)
File:NISSAN TEANA (J32) China (12) (cropped).jpg, Nissan Teana (J32; facelift, China)
File:2012 Nissan Teana 250XL interior.jpg, Interior
Specifications
The second generation Teana utilized different engines, namely the MR20DE (successor of the QR series), VQ25DE and the VQ35DE, which was tweaked to produce 20 more PS. The Japanese-exclusive model, "FOUR" used a QR25DE engine.
Third generation (L33; 2013)
The third generation Teana was introduced in 2013 to some markets as a rebadged version of the North American
L33 Altima.
File:2014 Nissan Teana (L33) 2.5XV sedan (2016-01-03).jpg, Third generation Teana (L33; pre-facelift)
File:2014 Nissan Teana (L33) 2.0XL sedan (2016-01-06) 02.jpg, Third generation Teana (L33; pre-facelift)
File:NISSAN TEANA L33 China (cropped).jpg, Third generation Teana (L33; facelift)
Sales
References
External links
*
Official Japanese site
{{Modern European Nissan vehicles
Teana
Teana is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata.
The name Teana is a derivative of the Greek word "Theano", the wife of Pythagoras, the philosopher and mathematician. Local legend stat ...
Cars introduced in 2003
Executive cars
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Mid-size cars
2010s cars