This top Nissan sedan from 1985 was more advanced than the Audi V8

Japanese cars were already well established in Europe in the 1980s. The competitive pressure they placed on European brands was greatest in the compact and mid-sized segments, while the hegemony in the 4×4 market had long since been fought over between the Japanese giants. The sports cars that came ashore here were treated with increasing respect because they could perform like Porsches at tantalizingly low rates.

Later Lexus and Infiniti

Completely free of any Japanese interference was the segment of the large, luxurious and fast business sedans, which Lexus would only later successfully penetrate. This is not to say that Japan previously had no interest in this lucrative corner of the market. In a country where status and distinctiveness in traffic are extremely important, a top executive only really feels comfortable when he can claim at least five linear meters of shiny sheet metal for himself in an urban traffic jam. In the back seat of a Toyota Century, for example – an extremely conservatively styled icon of luxury and hidden high-tech. At that time no one at all doubted the technical ingenuity of the Japanese car manufacturers; what came out of Nippon was not only cleverly put together, but also simply remained intact. The main problem of Japanese limos was that they had limited ability to compete aesthetically and dynamically with the cars of Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar.

CUE-X with V6 biturbo, 300 hp and variable 4×4

And then Nissan showed the world the spectacular CUE-X. A large four-door sedan, which made a confident impression with its pointed nose, stretched lines, low roof and large wheels. It was also competent: it had a 3-liter V6 with two variable turbos in which ceramic turbine wheels turned. Power and torque peaked at 300 hp and 400 Nm respectively, with which the Nissan could reach a top speed of 250 km / h. Handling will have been excellent, given the variable four-wheel drive (0-60% of the front traction and 40-100% rear traction) and four-wheel steering that Nissan had built in. If they had taken it into production, this Japanese sedan would even have trumped the Audi V8 that was introduced with much fanfare in 1988 because it had a 3.6 V8 with 250 hp and four-wheel drive.

The interior kept pace. What is special is that there are no handles on the steering column, because the functions of turn signals and wipers are housed in the heart of the steering wheel. That made the generous number of buttons, slides and switches even greater, even though there are now average mid-sized cars that surpass the luxurious Nissan here. In any case, the beautifully outdated on-board telephone can never be matched again. Nice actually, how such a small detail unintentionally reveals the real age of this car of the future.

Nissan CUE-X

The lines of the CUE-X inspired the first Nissan Maxima.