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Nissan Motors

, or simply called Nissan, which formerly marketed vehicles under the Datsun brand name, is a Japanese Japan

is an island country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

 automobile Automobile

An automobile is a wheel [i]ed passenger [i] vehicle [i] that carries its own motor [i]. ... 

 manufacturer. The company's main offices are located in the Ginza Ginza

Ginza is a district of Chuo [i] Ward, Tokyo [i], located south of Yaesu [i] and Kyobashi [i] ... 

 area of Chuo-ku Chuo, Tokyo

Chuo is one of the 23 special wards [i] that form the heart of Tokyo [i], Japan [i]. ... 

, Tokyo Tokyo

listen is one of the 47 prefectures [i] of Japan [i] and is the location of its capital [i] ... 

, Japan Japan

is an island country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

. Nissan plans to move their headquarters to Yokohama Yokohama

is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture [i] and Japan [i]'s largest incorporated city [i], wit ... 

, Kanagawa Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture [i] located in the southern Kanto region [i] of Honshu [i], Japan [i]. ... 

 by 2010; the headquarters will start construction in 2007. Nissan is among the top three Asian rivals of the "big three" in the US. The company marketed vehicles under the Nissan and Datsun brand names until 1983, when the Datsun brand name was dropped.

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Timeline

1933   The Nissan Nissan Motors

, or simply called Nissan, which formerly marketed vehicles under the Datsun brand name, is a Japanese [i] ... 

 Motor Company was organized in Tokyo Tokyo

listen is one of the 47 prefectures [i] of Japan [i] and is the location of its capital [i] ... 

, Japan Japan

is an island country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

.



Encyclopedia

, or simply called Nissan, which formerly marketed vehicles under the Datsun brand name, is a Japanese Japan

is an island country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

 automobile Automobile

An automobile is a wheel [i]ed passenger [i] vehicle [i] that carries its own motor [i]. ... 

 manufacturer. The company's main offices are located in the Ginza Ginza

Ginza is a district of Chuo [i] Ward, Tokyo [i], located south of Yaesu [i] and Kyobashi [i] ... 

 area of Chuo-ku Chuo, Tokyo

Chuo is one of the 23 special wards [i] that form the heart of Tokyo [i], Japan [i]. ... 

, Tokyo Tokyo

listen is one of the 47 prefectures [i] of Japan [i] and is the location of its capital [i] ... 

, Japan Japan

is an island country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

. Nissan plans to move their headquarters to Yokohama Yokohama

is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture [i] and Japan [i]'s largest incorporated city [i], wit ... 

, Kanagawa Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture [i] located in the southern Kanto region [i] of Honshu [i], Japan [i]. ... 

 by 2010; the headquarters will start construction in 2007.

Nissan is among the top three Asian rivals of the "big three" in the US.

The company marketed vehicles under the Nissan and Datsun brand names until 1983, when the Datsun brand name was dropped. Nissan is Japan's second largest car company after Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation

, or simply called Toyota is a Japan [i]ese multinational corporation [i] and the world's second largest [i] ... 

. After reports of poor Japanese management at Nissan during the 1990s 1990s

The 1990s [i] decade [i] refers to the years from 1990 [i] to 1999 [i], inclusive, sometimes informally ... 

, it agreed to the French France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

 manufacturer Renault Renault

Renault S.A. is a French [i] vehicle [i] manufacturer producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and ... 

 buying a 44.4 percent stake in the company, while Nissan picked up a 15 percent stake in Renault Renault

Renault S.A. is a French [i] vehicle [i] manufacturer producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and ... 

 .

Under foreign-born president Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn

Carlos Ghosn is CEO [i] of Renault [i] and Nissan Motors [i]. ... 

's "Nissan Revival Plan" , the company has rebounded in what many leading economists consider to be one of the most spectacular corporate turnarounds in history, catapulting Nissan to record profits and a dramatic revitalization of both its Nissan and Infiniti Infiniti

Infiniti is Japan [i]ese automobile manufacturer [i] Nissan [i]'s luxury [i] brand in th ... 

 model line-ups. Despite the turnaround, Infiniti sales have been a disappointment. In 2001, the company initiated Nissan 180, capitalizing on the success of the NRP. Ghosn has been recognized in Japan Japan

is an island country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

 for the company's turnaround in the midst of an ailing Japanese economy. Ghosn and the Nissan turnaround were featured in Japanese manga Manga

is the Japanese [i] word for comics [i] and print cartoon [i]s.... 

 and popular culture. His achievements in revitalizing Nissan were noted by Emperor Akihito Akihito

Akihito is the current Emperor of Japan [i], the 125th person to hold that title, according to the tradi ... 

, who awarded him the Japan Medal with Blue Ribbon in 2004.

VQ V6 have been listed among "Ward's 10 Best Engines" for 12 straight years, since the award's inception. A new generation VQ series engine will premiere on the next generation Infiniti G35, the future Skyline GT-R and the 2007 Nissan 350Z. Their will also be a new generation 2.5VQ 4-cylinder engine that will power the next generation Altima and likely will power the upcoming SPEC-V 2007 Sentra .

History

In 1914, the Kwaishinsha Motorcar Works , established three years earlier, in Azabu-Hiroo District in Tokyo Tokyo

listen is one of the 47 prefectures [i] of Japan [i] and is the location of its capital [i] ... 

, built the first DAT. The new car's name being the acronym of the company's partners' surnames:
  • Kenjiro Den
  • Rokuro Aoyama
  • Meitaro Takeuchi .

The Works was renamed to Kwaishinsha Motorcar Co. in 1918, and again, in 1925, to DAT Motorcar Co.

The next year, the Tokyo-based company merged with the Osaka Osaka

listen is the capital of Osaka Prefecture [i] and the third-largest city [i] in Japan [i], wi ... 

-based Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd. as DAT Automobile Manufacturing Co. Ltd. in Osaka until 1932. In 1931, the first DATSON—meaning "Son of DAT"—was produced. However, the last syllable was changed to "sun", because "son" also means "loss" in Japanese Japanese language

Japanese is a language spoken by over 127 million people, mainly in Japan [i], but also by Japanese emi ... 

, hence the name "Datsun" .

In 1933, the company name was Nipponized to Jidosha-Seizo Co. Ltd. and moved to Yokohama. In 1934, Jidosha-Seizo merged with a fellow Japanese automanufacturer named Nihon Sangyo Co. Ltd. who was popularly known as "Ni-San."

The company became Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. on June 1, 1934, and was founded by Yoshisuke Aikawa. Nissan built trucks, airplanes, and engines for the Japanese military. Their main plant was moved to China after the land was captured by the military. The plant made machinery for the Japanese war effort until it was captured by American and Russian forces. For two years the company was briefly called Nissan Heavy Industries Corp. .

Like Hino and Isuzu Isuzu

, is a Japan [i]ese commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturer company [i], headquartered in... 

, but unlike Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation

, or simply called Toyota is a Japan [i]ese multinational corporation [i] and the world's second largest [i] ... 

, Nissan partnered with a European company to gain access to automobile and engine designs. Nissan chose Austin Austin Motor Company

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The Austin Motor Company was a British [i] manufacturer of automobiles ... 

 of the United Kingdom United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state [i] tha ... 

, which later became the British Motor Corporation British Motor Corporation

The British Motor Corporation was a UK [i] vehicle company, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company [i] ... 

. Nissan began building Austin 7 Austin 7

The Austin [i] 7 was a vintage car [i] produced from 1922 through to 1939 in the United Kingdom [i] ... 

s in 1930, though the legitimacy of their license is debated. The company soon began producing a variety of Austin-derived models like the original Austin A50-based Datsun 1000 Nissan Sunny

The Nissan Sunny is a small car manufactured by Nissan [i] of Japan [i]. ... 

. These designs were apparently covered by a 1952-1960 license agreement between the companies. After the Nissan introduced its own models in the 1950s 1950s

The 1950s was the decade spanning the years 1950 to 1959.... 

, they continued to develop their own engine designs past what the Austin's A- and B-family designs offered. In 1967 introduced its new highly advanced four cylinder overhead cam Nissan L engine Nissan L engine

The Nissan [i] L series of automobile [i] engines ranged from 1.3 L to 2.8 L in both straight-4 [i] ... 

, which while similar to Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German [i] brand name of automobile [i]s, bus [i]es, coach [i]es, an ... 

 OHC designs was a totally new engine designed by Nissan. This engine powered the new Datsun 510, which gained Nissan respect in the worldwide sedan Sedan

A sedan car [i], American English [i] terminology, is one of the most common body styles [i] ... 

 market. Then, in 1970 Nissan introduced the 240Z sports car which used a six-cylinder variation of the L series engine. The 240z was an immediate sensation and lifted Nissan to world class status in the automobile market.

In 1966, Nissan merged with the Prince Motor Company, bringing into its range more upmarket cars, including the Skyline Nissan Skyline

The Nissan [i] Skyline is an intermediate-size [i] automobile [i] range sold in Japan [i] an ... 

 and Gloria Nissan Gloria

The Gloria was a fullsize car [i] sold by Prince [i] from 1961 and later by Nissan [i]... 

. The Prince name was eventually abandoned, with successive Skylines and Glorias bearing the Nissan name - however, "Prince" is still used in names of certain Nissan dealers in Japan. Nissan would introduce a new luxury brand for the US market in the late 1990s called Infiniti Infiniti

Infiniti is Japan [i]ese automobile manufacturer [i] Nissan [i]'s luxury [i] brand in th ... 

.

In the wake of the fuel crisis, Nissan became one of the world's largest exporters of automobiles and set up new factories in Mexico Mexico

The United Mexican States, generally known as Mexico is a country [i] located in North America [i] ... 

 and Australia Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere [i] c ... 

.

The firm established assembly operations in the United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 in the early 1980s, with a plant in Smyrna, Tennessee Smyrna, Tennessee

Smyrna is a town in Rutherford County [i], Tennessee [i], United States [i] ... 

. This facility at first built only trucks, but has since been expanded to produce several car lines. An engine plant in Decherd, Tennessee Decherd, Tennessee

Decherd is a city in Franklin County [i], Tennessee [i], United States [i].... 

 followed, and most recently a second assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi.

In order to overcome export tariffs and delivery costs to its European customers, Nissan contemplated establishing a plant inside Europe's borders. After an extensive review, Sunderland Sunderland

Sunderland is a city and port in the City of Sunderland [i] metropolitan borough, in the county of Tyne and Wear [i] ... 

 in United Kingdom was chosen due to the local availability of a highly skilled workforce and its position near major ports. The plant was completed in 1986 as the subsidiary Nissan Motor Manufacturing Ltd. Since then it has arisen to achieve the highly coveted title of being the most productive plant in Europe, and by 2007 will be producing 400,000 vehicles per year.

Financial difficulties in Australia in the late 1980s 1980s

The 1980s [i] officially refers to the years from 1980 [i] to 1989 [i]. ... 

 caused Nissan to cease production there. Due to the "Button Plan" the Australian operation was unique as the Nissan products were also rebadged both by Holden , and Ford .

Nissan also produces cars at its factory near Pretoria Pretoria

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province [i], South Africa [i]. ... 

, South Africa South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the Africa [i]n continent [i]. ... 

.

In 2002, Toyota and Nissan agree to on Hybrid Technologies and in 2004, Nissan s Altima Nissan Altima

The Altima is a mid-size car [i] currently being manufactured by the Japan [i]ese automaker [i] Nissan [i] ... 

 Hybrid Hybrid vehicle

A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle using an on-board rechargeable energy storage system [i] and a fuelled pow... 

 Prototype.

Nissan began development of FCVs in 1996 and launched limited lease sales of the X-Trail Nissan X-Trail

The Nissan [i] X-Trail is a Compact SUV [i] sold in Japan [i], Europe [i], Canada [i], Mexico [i], Malaysia [i] ... 

 FCV in Japan in fiscal year 2003.

On May 17, 2006 Nissan releases Atlas 20 hybrid truck Truck

truck [i] is a motor vehicle [i] for transport [i]ing goods. ... 

 in Japan.

On June 30, 2006, General Motors General Motors

General Motors Corporation, also known as GM, is the world's largest automaker [i] ... 

 convened an emergency board meeting to discuss a proposal by shareholder Kirk Kerkorian Kirk Kerkorian

Kirk Kerkorian is a Nevada [i]
... 

 to form an alliance between GM General Motors

General Motors Corporation, also known as GM, is the world's largest automaker [i] ... 

 and Renault Renault

Renault S.A. is a French [i] vehicle [i] manufacturer producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and ... 

-Nissan Nissan Motors

, or simply called Nissan, which formerly marketed vehicles under the Datsun brand name, is a Japanese [i] ... 

. CEO Rick Wagoner is studying the proposal.

The company's head office is now in Tokyo but will move back to Yokohama in 2009. Nissan North America will relocate its headquarters from Gardena, California Gardena, California

Gardena is a city in Los Angeles County [i], California [i], United States [i] ... 

 to Franklin, Tennessee Franklin, Tennessee

Franklin is a city in Williamson County [i], Tennessee [i], USA [i]... 

 in 2008. It is due to California's business regulations and high costs doing business in California.

Products

Nissan has produced an extensive range of mainstream cars and truck Truck

truck [i] is a motor vehicle [i] for transport [i]ing goods. ... 

s, initially for domestic consumption but exported around the world since the 1950s 1950s

The 1950s was the decade spanning the years 1950 to 1959.... 

. There was a major strike in 1953.

It also produced several memorable sports car Sports car

A sports car is a type of automobile [i] designed primarily for performance driving.
... 

s, including the Datsun Fairlady 1500, 1600 and 2000 Roadsters, the Z-car Nissan Z-car

Z-car usually refers to a series of sports car [i]s manufactured by Nissan [i]. ... 

, an affordable sports car originally introduced in 1969; and the Skyline GT-R Nissan Skyline GT-R

The Nissan Skyline GT-R is an iconic Japan [i]ese sports coupe [i] in the Nissan Skyline [i] range.... 

, a powerful all-wheel-drive Four-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4, all-wheel drive, and AWD are terms used to describe ... 

 sports coupe.

In 1985, Nissan created a tuning division, NISMO, for competition and performance development of such cars.

Until 1982, Nissan automobiles in most export markets were sold under the Datsun brand. Since 1989, Nissan has sold its luxury models in North America under the Infiniti Infiniti

Infiniti is Japan [i]ese automobile manufacturer [i] Nissan [i]'s luxury [i] brand in th ... 

 brand.

Nissan also sells a small range of keicar Kei car

Kei car, also called keijidosha, is a Japanese [i] category of small automobiles [i], in ... 

s, mainly as a joint venture with other Japanese manufacturers like Suzuki Suzuki

Suzuki Motor Corporation is a Japan [i]ese manufacturing [i] company producing a range of small automobile [i] ... 

 or Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Motors

is the fourth largest auto-manufacturer in Japan [i], and in 2006 was ranked 782nd on Forbes [i]' list of the ... 

. Nissan does not develop these cars. Nissan also has shared model development of Japan domestic cars with other manufacturers, particularly Mazda Mazda

Matteo Carcassi , was a famous guitarist [i] and composer.
... 

, Subaru Subaru

Subaru, a Japan [i]ese car [i] company, is the automobile [i] division of Fuji Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. [i] ... 

, Suzuki Suzuki

Suzuki Motor Corporation is a Japan [i]ese manufacturing [i] company producing a range of small automobile [i] ... 

 and Isuzu Isuzu

, is a Japan [i]ese commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturer company [i], headquartered in... 

.

In China, Nissan produces cars in association with the Dongfeng Motor Group including the 2006 Nissan Livina Geniss. This is the first in the range of a new worldwide family of medium sized cars and is to make its world debut at the Guangzhou International Motor Show.

Non-Automobile Products

Nissan has also had a number of ventures outside the automotive industry, most notably the Tu-Ka mobile phone service , which was sold to DDI and Japan Telecom in 1999. Nissan also owns Nissan Marine, a joint venture with Marubeni Corporation Marubeni

is a Japan [i]ese trading company, one of the largest GTCs in Japan. ... 

 that produces motors for boats and other maritime equipment.

See also

  • Nissan Diesel UD

    Nissan Diesel Motor Co., Ltd. or UD is a Japan [i]ese company whose principal business is the manu ... 

  • Nissan Group
  • Renault Renault

    Renault S.A. is a French [i] vehicle [i] manufacturer producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and ... 

  • Jatco
  • Dongfeng Motor Company
  • Dongfeng Nissan-Diesel Company
  • List of Nissan vehicles
  • List of Nissan engines
  • EPA 2004 fuel economy report
  • Nissan Green Shop Certification System 

External links