Contenu
The Japan-based Nissan Motor Company manufactures Nissan cars and trucks in 17 countries. Its a multinational company that sought as early as the 1950s to expand its operations beyond Japan. In 1966, it took a leap forward in expansion by acquiring the Japanese Prince Motors, which produced the popular Skyline cars, and continued with that model as the GT-R to extend its reach in sports car marketing.
Datsun
The company was known worldwide as Nissan, except in the United States until 1979, when it was Datsun, literally meaning "son" of DAT, an acronym for the companys early partners, Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama and Meitaro Takeuchi.
Austin
As part of its multinational expansion goals, Nissan forged an agreement with British-made Austin in 1952 to assemble and sell Austin cars in Japan.
Tennessee Plant
By the early 1980s, Nissan opened an assembly plant in Smyrna, Tenn., to build the Nissan Pathfinder, Hardbody and 720 models, with additional plants added in Decherd, Tenn., and Canton, Miss.
Ford Partnership
Nissan and the Ford Motor Company formed a partnership to produce the identical Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest minivans in the United States from 1993 to 2002.
Renault Connection
In 1999, the France-based Renault S.A. acquired a 44.4 percent stake in Nissan Motors stock and 22.5 percent in Nissan Diesel.
Global Reach
Nissan has 13 plants and research centers in Japan alone with operations also in India, Brazil, the Philippines, Pakistan, Mexico, Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Indonesia, South Africa, the U.S., Russia, United Kingdom, Thailand, Taiwan and Spain.
