Historical Timeline of Nissan Motors
1914 – The first Datsun is built.
1933 – Nissan Motor Corp, Ltd., is established in Japan.
1937 – The Datsun Type 15 is the first mass produced Japanese vehicle. Other Type 15 models include a mini pickup and delivery van.
1958 – The first Datsun Sedan arrives in the United States. The strong, heavy 1200 sedan packs a 48-hp 1200-cc engine encased in thick body panels.
1959 – The Datsun compact pickup is first introduced to America, making an appearance at the Los Angles Auto Show. Originally imported with a modest 37-hp 1000-cc engine, the upgraded model features a 48-hp 1200-cc version. This quarter-ton pickup firmly establishes Datsun in the American market.
1960 – Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. (NMC), is established in Gardena, California. The model year witnesses the birth of Datsun’s first sports car – the SPL 210. This high, narrow, 4-seat roadster features a fold-down soft-tip with side curtains, “4 on the floor,”and a 48-hp 1200-cc engine (soon replaced by an 85-hp version).
1962 – Focused on American driving needs, the Bluebird is the first Datsun with a fully synchronized 3-speed transmission. It also sports classic two-tone paint, wide white-walls and optional bucket seats. Off the road, Nissan’s first utility vehicle, The Patrol, makes its debut, with TV hero Roy Rogers as its spokesman. Pitched as the world’s most powerful, most advanced 4-wheel-drive, the Patrol’s brawny 145-hp 4000-cc 6-cylinder engine develops enough torque to “climb trees.”
1966 – The first Japanese-owned production facility in North America, Nissan Mexicana (NMEX) manufactures its first vehicle.
1967 – The Datsun most desired by collectors, the 2000 Roadster, is also the first Japanese production sports car to come with a 5-speed. That, plus its robust 150-hp engine, makes it extra fun to drive. Production is limited to 1,000 and the first ten are lightweight version for racing. The 2000 Roadster wins ten SCCA National Championships between 1967 and 1987.
1968 – Nissan launches the first car styled for the U.S. market, the Datsun 510 sedan.
1966 – Nissan forms a partnership with Prince Motor Company and paving the way for the company’s luxury line of vehicles.
1969 – Datsun introduces the “Z”as a 1970 model. By offering European performance, plus creature comforts like roll-up windows and a heater – all at an affordable price – the 240Z becomes the best-selling sports car in the world. The Corvette took nearly twenty-five years to sell 500,000 units; the Z does it in fewer than ten. Nissan enters the ranks as one of the world’s largest exporters of vehicles.
1971 – For the first time Nissan sells over 250,000 models this year. Nissan also takes home their first racing title, when the BRE 501 defeats its opponents in the SCAA 2.5 Liter Trans American Championship. The 510 model gains recognition when it wins both the East African Safari and the American Rally Championship.
1972 – The civilian 510 introduces a new concept – a 4-door sports sedan. This good-looking, 5-passenger family car is fun to drive, economical, and sells over 300,000 sedans and wagons. As a result, race-bred sportiness remains very much part of Nissan today.
1973 – The one-millionth Datsun vehicle is sold in America.
1975 – Datsun becomes the top U.S. vehicle importer.
1977 – Nissan expands the idea of how much work a truck can do by introducing the King Cab, the first extended cab pickup.
1979 – Nissan Design International (NDI) is established in La Jolla, California, to provide American concepts and style to Nissan vehicles. Among their many creations (including today’s popular Xterra SUV) is the “out there”Gobi Truck concept. Developed in the late `980s, it is a direct extension of the very first Datsun truck.
1980 – Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation (NMMC) is established in Smyrna, Tennessee, to fulfill the growing demand for Nissan vehicles.
1981 – Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation (NMAC), Nissan’s financing division, is established in Torrance, California.
1982 – Nissan’s rich off-road truck racing history includes 19 championships from 1982 – 1992. A King Cab desert racer, competing as an HDRA/SCORE Class 1 Unlimited Vehicle, packs a sand-scorching 380 hp. It has full-time 4WD, a radical mid-engine design and a 4-wheel fully independent suspension.
1983 – Worldwide marketing of vehicles using the Nissan name begins. And the first truck produced by Nissan in America rolls off the line in Smyrna, Tennessee. Nissan Research and Development (NRD) is established in Michigan.
1985 – Legendary Hollywood actor Paul Newman races the Newman/Sharp Trans-Am 300ZX to an SCCA GT1 championship in 1985 and 1986. Particularly noteworthy is the 1985 win, which is Nissan’s 50th national SCCA championship. Meanwhile, the first Sentra rolls off the line in Symrna, Tennessee.
1988 – Nissan driver Geoff Brabham wins the first of four consecutive IMSA Camel GTP Drivers Championships. The streak includes eight straight races, breaking the American road record. Almost unbeatable, the IMSA GTP Race Car dominates with a breathtaking top speed of 200 miles per hour.
1989 – It’s a year of remarkable milestones – Nissan launches the
1999 – Nissan introduces the Frontier Crew Cab, the first compact truck with four full-sized door. The Frontier, along with the Xterra and Pathfinder are named official vehicles of the Los Angeles County lifeguards and become a hit on the popular TV series “Baywatch.”
2003 – The all-new reintroduced Z makes a comeback and Nissan introduces its first full-sized truck, the Titan.
2005 – Nissan launches the all-new Frontier, the most powerful V6 truck in its class, as well as a new mid-sized Pathfinder with added 3rd-row seating and a 2nd-generation Xterra.
2007 – Next-generation technology thrives with Maxima, Altima, Sentra, Quest, Versa Hatchback and Versa Sedan. Nissan introduces the all-new 2007 Altima and adds a clean, green driving option to the model lineup with the Altima Hybrid.
2009 – The Cube takes shape and dream becomes reality for GT-R enthusiasts as both vehicles make their North American debut.
2010 – Nissan introduces the LEAF, it’s first fully electric vehicle with zero emissions. Nissan also introduces the popular Nissan Juke. The Nissan Cube is awarded Automobile Magazine’s prestigious Design of the Year award and the Popular Science names the Nissan Z the Best of What’s New in 2010.
2011 – Again the Nissan Cube makes history being rated the Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Nissan LEAF also gains fame, winning the Car of the Year Award from
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