Japanese Car Production: Datsun / Nissan |
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The Datsun 1600 was a brilliant car, that changed
many peoples perception that "Made In Japan"
meant the product would be inferior...
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Toyota's challenger dreams of the day it will regain the first place it once enjoyed. Nissan also flirted with disaster as a result of disastrous strikes in 1953/4 and was only saved by the intervention of the Industrial Bank of Japan.
Less financially secure and with a weaker corporate spirit than its rival, Nissan made up for its weaknesses with a degree of technical daring and a reputation for good engineering. The Prince company was taken over by Nissan and the company once acted as a watchful parent to Fuji Heavy Industries, makers of the Subaru range.
Origins:
The Kwaishinda Co., founded in 1911, produced its first automobile in 1914, called the DAT (initials of the company's founders). A new, small DAT was produced in 1930, the Datson - son of DAT, which became the Datsun. Nissan Motors founded in 1934. Amalgamated with Prince Motors in 1966, which made Nissan the biggest motor manufacturer in Japan at the time. Licenses: 1952, manufacture of Austin A40 and A50.
Milestones:
First mass-production model: Datsun (1932).
First model exported to Europe: Datsun 310 (1960).
Model most sold abroad (as at 1979): Datsun 120Y/210 (Sunny) - 380,041 units exported in 1979.
Number of employees (as at 1979): 57,700.
Position among Japanese Manufacturers: 2nd (28.2 per cent of home market).
Position among manufacturers/exporters (as at 1979): 2nd (27 per cent).
Position among World manufacturers (as at 1979): 4th since 1972.
Car assembly plants abroad (as at 1979): Formosa, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ghana, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Peru, Costa Rica, Trinidad.
Number of cars assembled abroad in 1979: 178,726.
Associates (as at 1979): 36 per cent holding in Motor Iberica, Spain. Co-operation agreement with Fuji Heavy Industries.
Group products (as at 1979): Cars, trucks, buses, vans, four-wheel drive vehicles, fork-lift trucks, weaving machinery, marine engines, rockets and satellites, pleasure boats.
Range (as at 1979): Nissan President, Datsun 280C (six models), Datsun 280 Diesel (two models), Datsun 220C Diesel, Datsun 280ZX (two models), Datsun 240L, Datsun 200L (two models), Datsun 240 KGT (two models), Datsun 180K (two models), Datsun 160J (six models), Datsun 140J (three models), Datsun 140 Y (six models), Datsun 120 Y (eight models), Datsun 120 A (three models), Datsun 100 A, Datsun 180SX, Datsun Bluebird 1800 (four models), Datsun Bluebird 1600 (two models).
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Combined Nissan / Datsun Car Production 1950 - 1979 |
Year |
Production |
Exportation |
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865 |
- |
|
1,718 |
- |
|
2,469 |
- |
|
3,430 |
- |
|
5,383 |
- |
|
7,835 |
- |
|
14,260 |
- |
|
20,793 |
- |
|
21,835 |
- |
|
32,994 |
- |
|
65,977 |
4,751 |
|
90,705 |
6,497 |
|
101,947 |
11,244 |
|
147,838 |
16,938 |
|
213,164 |
35,156 |
|
216,833 |
39,389 |
|
253,046 |
62,418 |
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352,045 |
79,846 |
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571,614 |
131,618 |
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697,691 |
196,898 |
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899,008 |
267,197 |
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110,1506 |
456,241 |
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1,352,251 |
550,559 |
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1,487,360 |
520,693 |
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1,255,669 |
631,840 |
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1,532,731 |
648,641 |
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1,610,319 |
797,009 |
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1,615,866 |
855,422 |
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1,733,132 |
855,386 |
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1,874,912 |
836,680 |
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1934 |
Datsun |
650 |
- |
290 |
940 |
1935 |
Datsun |
2,631 |
- |
1,169 |
3,800 |
1936 |
Datsun |
2,562 |
- |
3,601 |
6,163 |
1937 |
Datsun |
3,578 |
- |
4,775 |
8,353 |
1938 |
Datsun |
2,908 |
- |
4,191 |
7,099 |
1939 |
Datsun |
626 |
- |
2,625 |
3,251 |
1940 |
Datsun |
125 |
- |
772 |
897 |
1941 |
Datsun |
521 |
- |
907 |
1,428 |
1942 |
Datsun |
288 |
- |
589 |
877 |
1943 |
Datsun |
233 |
- |
229 |
462 |
1944 |
Datsun |
9 |
- |
- |
9 |
1945 |
Datsun |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1946 |
Datsun |
- |
- |
560 |
560 |
1947 |
Datsun |
55 |
- |
1,061 |
1,116 |
1948 |
Datsun |
246 |
- |
2,329 |
2,575 |
1949 |
Datsun |
647 |
- |
4,052 |
4,699 |
1950 |
Datsun |
865 |
- |
4,240 |
5,105 |
1951 |
Datsun |
1,705 |
- |
3,415 |
5,120 |
1952 |
Datsun |
2,376 |
- |
3,687 |
6,063 |
1953 |
Datsun |
2,300 |
- |
3,693 |
5,993 |
1954 |
Datsun |
2,968 |
- |
4,714 |
7,682 |
1955 |
Datsun |
4,648 |
- |
7,556 |
12,204 |
1956 |
Datsun |
10,247 |
- |
9,278 |
19,525 |
1957 |
Datsun |
13,002 |
- |
17,396 |
30,398 |
1958 |
Datsun |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Total: |
- |
53,190 |
- |
81,129 |
134,319 |
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