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Nissan · Skyline

Nissan Skyline 9th generation (R33)

Years
1993–1998
Chassis
R33
Drivetrain
FR / 4WD
Nissan Skyline 9th generation (R33)

Image: OSX / Public domain

Story

It arrived with the catchphrase "Japan's mainstream grand touring car". Every model grew into the standard passenger car class, greatly improving comfort.

Stories

01

Putting the Battery in the Trunk

The eighth-generation R32 was planned to boldly express the Skyline's character and to win back its fallen driving image. From the R33 onward, the plan was to enhance what a sedan needs, such as cabin comfort, and securing trunk capacity, which had been criticized on the R32, was an especially important theme. Even so, Watanabe wanted to improve even a little on the "doesn't turn" verdict the R32 had received. So, to change the weight distribution, he deliberately placed the battery in the trunk. He looks back on it as an ambitious challenge, because good driving had to be upheld.
Kozo Watanabe

Chassis

Front

Multi-link

Rear

Multi-link

Length 4,640-4,720 mmWB 2,720 mm1,340-1,360 mmHeightWidth 1,720 mm

Production plants

  1. Murayama Plant

    Musashimurayama, Tokyo

US import eligibility

Earliest cars
Eligible since August 201825 years after sales began in August 1993
Last cars
Eligible since 202325 years after sales ended in 1998 (month not recorded)

Eligibility depends on each car's month of manufacture on its build plate, not on the sale dates shown here (NHTSA).

Japanese cars by US import year →

Engineers

Kozo Watanabe

Kozo Watanabe

Hometown: Osaka Prefecture

Head of development (chief engineer) of the ninth-generation (R33) and tenth-generation (R34) Skyline. He refined the R33 GT-R with the goal of making it a faster car than the R32 GT-R.