Nissan means honest samurai: The story of an auto giant

Kaishinsha Motorcar Works was founded in 1910 by three partners, Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, and Meitaro Takeuchi. The first vehicle, the DAT, consisting of the first letter of the surnames of these three partners, was produced in 1914. In 1925, the firm DAT Motorcar Co. got its name. In 1926, it merged with Jitsuyo Jidosha Company to form Osaka-based DAT Manufacturing Co. Ltd. company was established. 

The company produced cars under this roof until 1932. In 1930, the company partnered with Austin of the United Kingdom to collaborate in the development of automobile and engine designs. It began manufacturing the Austin 7 in 1930. 

In 1931, the first DATSON, meaning son of DAT, was produced. However, since the Japanese word SON means lost, SON was replaced with SUN. And the company came out in 1931 with a smaller new car called the Datsun Type 11. In 1933, the company Jidosha-Seizo Co. took the name and moved to Yokohama. 

In 1934, Jidosha-Seizo Co. and Nihon Sangyo Co.Ltd. companies merged to become Ni-san. On June 1, 1934, the name of the company was changed to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. it happened. Traditionally, Nis san means "Honest Samurai". Its duty is to protect the entrusted and duty to the last point of its life and not to die without providing security. That's why Nissan - Made in Japan models have a longer life engine and chassis structure. 

Starting in 1934, Datsun began building Austin 7s under license. This operation was the biggest success of Austin's overseas licensing of its Seven and marked the beginning of Datsun's international success. In 1952, Nissan entered into a legal agreement with Austin for Nissan to assemble 2,000 Austins of imported partially assembled sets and sell them in Japan under the Austin trademark. The deal required Nissan to manufacture all Austin parts locally within three years, a goal Nissan achieved. 

Nissan produced and marketed Austins for seven years. The deal also gave Nissan the rights to use Austin patents, which Nissan used to develop its own engines for the Datsun car line. British-built Austins were assembled and sold in 1953. In 1955, however, the Austin A50, entirely manufactured by Nissan and equipped with a new engine, was on the market in Japan. Nissan produced 20,855 Austins from 1953 to 1959.

In 1962, the brand started by exporting automotive to different countries. It merged with Prince Motor Company in 1966. While the name Prince was not used after the merger, Skyline and Gloria names belonging to Prince Motor Company were taken under the Nissan brand. In 1983, the Nissan brand started to produce cars in many countries such as Spain.

In 1989, Nissan introduced a new brand called Infiniti and it was presented to the American market. The company, which fell into a big economic problem in the 1990s, signed an agreement with the French brand Renault in this period. This agreement was not only an agreement to get out of the crisis, but also a 3 year agreement to grow. In addition, the completely independent management of the brands and the preservation of their character was an important detail in the agreement. So, Renault would remain French and Nissan would remain Japanese. But to increase their power, they would establish factories under the name of Renault-Nissan and provide development.

The Renault-Nissan group of companies would make sales on behalf of two brands. In this framework, DCI engines took their current form. DCI became joint property of Renault-Nissan. It is possible to see DCI engines in both brands. Now this partnership is maintained by Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi brands.

After the agreement, the Micra model, made by the company in 1993, won the best car of the year award. The Micra model produced began to be exported to Australia in 1995.

A 3 year resurgence plan was developed between 1999 and 2002, aiming to reduce operating costs and corporate debt as well as grow in the long term. Following the plan created to reduce expenses and debt, the “180 Plan” was announced, aiming for continuous and profitable growth between the years 2002-2005. The expansion of this plan was 1 million additional sales, 8% operational profitability and zero automotive debt with the aim of increasing sales volume by 40% worldwide. 

Nissan has nearly doubled the number of models it offers, and its sales nearly doubled. In 10 years, the diverse product line has grown to include the first full-size truck, all-new hybrid technology, and a 21st-century supercar. The first full-size truck, the TITAN, was launched in 2003 as a 2004 model. In 2007 Next generation technology developed with Maxima, Altima, Sentra, Quest, Versa Hatchback and Versa Sedan.

In 2010, the world's first mass-produced, 100% electric, zero-emissions car, the Nissan LEAF, was introduced. Sales increased by more than 400,000 worldwide. Nissan in 2012, announced Datsun's comeback. On July 15, 2013, the new Datsun appeared in India. Datsun has been re-launched as Nissan's small and cheap cars in countries such as India and Russia since 2013.

COVID-19 has greatly adversely affected the auto industry. Nissan posted a loss in fiscal 2019, and it was the first annual loss in more than a decade. That same day, it announced a four-year plan that included production cuts and reduced the number of models it produced from 69 to less than 55. The company's plan, achieving sustainable growth, financial stability and profitability by the end of the 2023 fiscal year. Moreover Nissan, together with its partners Renault and Mitsubishi, announced a new business model to increase the competitiveness and profitability of the three partner companies, where each manufacturer focuses on individual markets. 

Getting stronger and starting to make a difference in the automobile market, the total number of production in Nissan's overseas production centers exceeded 10 million. Nissan, which has made its mark on the automotive world in terms of production efficiency, has been called the best in Europe. In addition, Nissan, the second largest automobile manufacturer in Japan, is on the way to become today's strong manufacturer with the importance it attaches to the design of new engine technologies, environmentally friendly vehicle production and safety.

Its emblem is a symbol of the sun and honesty. The name of the brand in a circle symbolizes the sunrise and the red dot on the white background of the Japanese flag. The emblem also symbolizes honesty and sincerity.