Nissan Motor Company is one of the world's most prestigious
Japanese automobile
manufacturers, producing
quality cars such as the
Gloria,
350Z, and
Maxima. As the company name implies, Nissan is not just in the
automobile business, also manufacturing
marine engines,
construction machinery, and even
rocket engines --
Japan's first
artificial satellite was put into
orbit with a Nissan-designed and manufactured
rocket system.
Nissan was originally established as the Jidosha Seizo Company in Yokohama, Japan, after a merger between Nihon Sangyo Co. and Tobata Imono Co., in 1933. In May of 1934 the company decided to change its name to Nissan Motor Company (the Nissan stemming from Nihon Sangyo), later becoming Nissan Heavy Industries for a five-year stint after World War II. Tobata Imono Co. had previously merged with an automobile company called Kwaishinsha Co., which had produced a popular car called the Dat Car in 1914, and were at the time of the merger, building a successor. The first "son of Dat", or Datsun cars, were produced in April of 1935, and sold domestically and exported to Australia.
Nissan has expanded its operations across the world, having opened Nissan North America in 1960, and Nissan Motor Manufacturing Co. in Australia in 1976 and in the UK in 1984. Nissan also sells its more luxurious models in North America under the Infiniti brand name. The company currently has a close business relationship with French automaker Renault, and the two companies share assembly plants and technologies frequently.