The origins of Nissan can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1911, Masujiro Hashimoto founded the Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works in Azabu-Hiroo district of Tokyo. In 1914, the company produced its first car, called the DAT, an acronym of the surnames of its investors: Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, and Meitaro Takeuchi. The company was renamed to Kaishinsha Motorcar Co., Ltd. in 1918, and again to DAT Jidosha & Co., Ltd. in 1925.
In 1926, DAT Motors merged with Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd. to become DAT Jidosha Seizo Co., Ltd. In 1931, DAT came out with a new smaller car, called the Datsun Type 11, the first "Datson". The name was later changed to "Datsun" in 1933 because "son" also means "loss" in Japanese. In 1933, Nissan Group took control of DAT Motors, leading to the name change.
In 1934, Yoshisuke Aikawa founded Nihon Sangyo, and the name 'Nissan' originated as an abbreviation used on the Tokyo Stock Exchange for this company. Aikawa separated the expanded automobile parts division of Tobata Casting and incorporated it as Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. In 1935, the first car manufactured by an integrated assembly system rolled off the line at the Yokohama plant. From 1934, Datsun began building Austin 7s under license, marking the beginning of Datsun’s international success. In 1952, Nissan entered into a legal agreement with Austin to assemble 2,000 Austins from imported parts.
In 1966, Nissan merged with Prince Motor Company, bringing the Skyline and Gloria into its selection. In 1967, Nissan introduced the L series engine, powering the Datsun 510. Then, in 1969, Nissan introduced the Datsun 240Z sports car, which used a six-cylinder variation of the L series engine. By 1970, Nissan had become one of the world's largest exporters of automobiles.
In 1985, Nissan initiated "Project 901", an initiative to offer technologically advanced cars by 1990. In 1999, facing severe financial difficulties, Nissan entered an alliance with Renault of France. In 2001, Renault executive Carlos Ghosn was named chief executive officer of Nissan, initiating the "Nissan Revival Plan". In November 2018, Ghosn was fired as chairman following his arrest for alleged financial misconduct.
In late-July 2019, Nissan laid off 12,500 employees over three years. In November 2024, Nissan announced a plan to close seven factories globally by 2027, resulting in the loss of 20,000 jobs, and reduce car models from 56 to 45. In November 2024, Nissan created an emergency turnaround plan, forecasting a significant decrease in operating profit. A Nissan executive told the Financial Times that, unless there is a major turnaround, Nissan will cease to exist in "12 to 14 months".
As of 2025, Ivan Espinosa is the CEO of Nissan, having taken over from Makoto Uchida. Carlos Ghosn previously served as CEO from 2000 to 2017, and was recognized for the company’s turnaround in the midst of a struggling Japanese economy.
[unverified] The long-form study of Nissan’s early history and its relationship with the Japanese zaibatsu belongs to Cusumano’s The Japanese Automobile Industry rather than this article’s corpus.
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