Japanese Car Production: Datsun / Nissan

Send This Page To A Friend
Fade To White
Japanese Car Production: Datsun / Nissan



The Datsun 1600 was a brilliant car, that changed
many peoples perception that "Made In Japan"
meant the product would be inferior...
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).

Combined Nissan / Datsun Car Production 1950 - 1979
Year
Production
Exportation
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
352,045
79,846
571,614
131,618
697,691
196,898
899,008
267,197
110,1506
456,241
1,352,251
550,559
1,487,360
520,693
1,255,669
631,840
1,532,731
648,641
1,610,319
797,009
1,615,866
855,422
1,733,132
855,386
1,874,912
836,680
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
Latest Classic Car Classifieds


Sell Your Car or Parts Browse the Classifieds It's Absolutely Free! - Find Out More