Here we have a Nissan Bluebird EQ 7200-II sedan, seen in the winter in the Chinese capital Beijing. The good Nissan was in fantastic shape, painted in a dark shade of black with a lot of shiny chrome.
The Bluebird EQ 7200-II was manufactured in China from 2001 until 2003 by the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture. It was based on the 1991-1997 Nissan Bluebird U13 but with a heavily revised front and rear. As the name implies, the EQ7200-II was the second Bluebird made by this joint venture, after the Nissan Bluebird EQ7200.
The full designation was on the car, as it was obligatory by law at the time. Most car makers used badges but Nissan went for stickers. Many of those have long been gone, but this case still has them on.
The EQ 7200-II was powered by a China-made variant of the Nissan SR20DE engine, designated EQ486. The engine ‘SDA 2.0 i’ engine had an output of 145hp and 178 Nm. The gearbox was a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.
The automatic was way more common than the manual, I can’t remember ever seeing a manual if any EQ7200-II that I spotted in China.
The interior was all right for its age. Real gray leather and the wood trim looked good. There is wood trim on the steering wheel, on the dashboard, on the center stack, around the gear lever, and on the gear lever knob. It doesn’t have seat covers, which is rare in China, although it does have seat cushions.
The cushion in the back is bench-wide! The leather is okay but the entire cabin is a tad dirty and dusty. It needs a good cleanup.
The little lady in a red winter jacket was wondering what the heck I doing, taking photos of this old car. Well, it looked great, with the original alloy wheels, a double exhaust pipe tip, and that typical subtle integrated spoiler in the boot lid. Beautiful car.
Production of U13 variants continued until 2007. The Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture still exists today but the glory days are sadly far behind it.