Nissan

The Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer, Nissan Motor Co., is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. Nissan also sells its vehicles under the Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2015, Nissan sold 5.4 million vehicles globally.

Founders of Nissan include Yoshisuke Aikawa and Masujiro Hashimoto, founder of Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works. Hashimoto produced the DAT car, which would pave the way for Datsun vehicles and trucks and would later fall under the Nissan network.

Nissan was first affiliated with Tobata Casting and it wasn’t until 1933 when the Nissan Motor Co. name was created in Japan. Tobata Casting expanded their vehicle division, which included Nissan. During the 1930s, Nissan built vehicles, trucks, engines and airplanes for the Japanese military.

Additionally in the 1930s, Nissan hired American engineer William R. Gorham to help create cutting-edge technology for Nissan cars and help their engineers design better vehicles.

During the Korean War, Nissan produced many vehicles for the U.S. Army. In the decades that followed, Nissan grew rapidly with technological innovations thanks to a labor union focused on productivity.

In 1960, Nissan formed a U.S. subsidiary, the Nissan Motor Corp. U.S.A., located in Gardena, California. In just a decade later, Nissan became one of the largest vehicle exporters in the world.

Up until 1983, Nissan vehicles that were exported to foreign markets were sold under the Datsun brand. By 1984 and 1985, the Datsun brand was completely dropped and vehicles were marketed under the Nissan brand.

In 1999, Nissan built a partnership with French car company Renault, calling it Renault-Nissan alliance. Additionally, in the 1990s, Nissan had a partnership with Ford to help market and sell Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest vehicles.

Popular Nissan models include: Sentra, Altima, Maxima, Rogue, Pathfinder and Titan. Nissan’s luxury line is the Infiniti Brand. Manufacturing plants for Nissan are in Japan, China, Brazil, United States and Mexico.

In 2010, Nissan unveiled the Nissan LEAF, which was the first mass-market, all-electric car that had an international launch. Nissan is committed to building electronic and hybrid vehicles that reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. The LEAF became the best selling all-electric car after selling 200,000 vehicles in 2015.

In addition, Nissan is dedicated to building and testing new tech innovations involving autonomous cars.

The motorsports division of Nissan, Nismo, has participated in events including: All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, Super GT, World Sportscar Championship, British Touring Car Championship and Supercars Championship.

Famous Nissan sports cars include Datsun Fairlady 1500, 1600 and 2000 Roadster, GT-R and Z-car.

Nissan has the naming rights to Nissan Stadium, which is home to the Tennessee Titans and Tennessee State University football team in Nashville. In addition, Nissan sponsors the Heisman Trophy and UEFA Champions League.