Nissan is from the country of Japan and now has locations all over the world manufacturing one of the world’s largest automotive brands and vehicles. The name Nissan comes from one of its founders and is a combination of the name Nihon Sangyo who was an original stakeholder in the company in 1928.
However, the Nissan brand has been in existence since 1911, when it was first the Kwaishinasha Motor Car Works Company, translated into English as A Good Company Automobile Manufacturer. Then, the company’s name was an acronym of the original investors of the company: Kenijor Den, Rokuro Aoyama, and Meitaro Takeuchi.
By 1918, the company was renamed again to become the DAT Motorcar Company, building trucks and Datsun passenger vehicles. At the time, trucks were the company’s mainstay and bread and butter and were even produced for the military.
In 1928, the company underwent further mergers and came under the founding of Nihon Sangyo, and Nissan was born.
Between 1928 and 1931, Nissan would undergo more changes but began to focus on smaller vehicles for the everyday population. The Datsun Type 11 was a company focus in 1931 and was named for being the Son of DAT. In 1933, the Nissan Group resumed complete control of the DAT Motorcar Company, and the vehicle named DATSon was changed to Datsun, as “son” translated from Japanese meant “loss.” Also, in 1933, the company moved to Yokohama.
In 1935, the company’s first full manufacturing plant completed its construction. As World War II loomed, the new Nissan would do what so many other companies were doing and “doing its part” by contributing to the world war efforts. It would soon gain the reputation of being the fourth-largest automaker in the world, as a result of its efforts towards World War II.
Between 1953 and 1959, the company would launch what is known today as the “Austin,” and would build over 20 thousand Austin vehicles for the mainstream population.
Although by 1959, Nissan was considered an everyday household term, its brand name recognition took a stronghold across the world between 1965 and 1985. This started with the launch of the Nissan L-Series Engine in 1967 and continued through 1969 with the Datsun 240z.
Factories around the world began construction, including those in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. New models that the world still loves today came into existence and included the Altima, the Pathfinder, and the Maxima. Today, Nissan has built more than 40 million cars and frequently wins Car of the Year awards around the world.