Foundation: 1911
Headquarters: Yokohama
CEO: Makoto Uchida
Executive Summary: Nissan Motor Company is one of Japan’s leading automotive firms and part of an international alliance that includes Renault of France and Mitsubishi Motors of Japan. Nissan has been a pioneer in the development of electric vehicles. In 1911, Masujiro Hashimoto founded Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works, which would later become Nissan. The motor company produced its first car, the DAT, three years after its establishment in 1914. The company was later renamed to DAT Jidosha & Co., Ltd. in 1925 and began making trucks as well as the DAT and Datsun passenger cars. The new firm’s output focused on trucks due to a relatively low demand for its cars. The following year, DAT Jidosha & Co merged with Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd to form DAT Jidosha Seizo Co. Also at this time, Yoshisuke Aikawa established Tobata Casting Co. under his Nihon Sangyo holding company for manufacturing automotive parts. In 1933, DAT Jidosha Seizo merged into Tobata Casting. At this time, the corporate name was changed to Nissan Motor Corporation. During the war, Nissan helped produce automobiles, trucks, engines, and planes for the country’s military. Following Japan’s defeat, the firm switched gears and began partnering with various automakers such as Austin Motor Company in the 1950s and 1960s. During the Korean War, Nissan became a major supplier for the US military. That war, however, was accompanied by virulent anticommunist sentiment in Japan, and Nissan’s strong labor union was targeted. Workers were locked out of factories and hundreds were fired. Many leaders were also arrested by Japanese police and US occupation forces. Ultimately, the Nissan labor union negotiated wage cuts to avoid having employees fired. Following this, Nissan rapidly expanded due to technical ideas supported and offered by its labor force. The firm opened a US subsidiary in 1960, following its car display at the Los Angeles Auto Show two years prior. In 1966, Nissan merged with Prince Motor Company, which brought upscale automobile offerings to the company’s brand. A year later, the company produced its first four cylinder overhead cam Nissan L engine, which was very similar to that of Mercedes. This new engine led to growing international respect for the company. Nissan expanded globally, opening a plant in England in 1986. This plant produced over 400,000 vehicles per year starting in 2007. Nissan entered into a partnership with Ford between 1992 and 2002 to make the Mercury Villager and the Nissan Quest minivans. In 2004, after the partnership ended, Nissan released a new Quest that was entirely its own. Facing financial difficulties in 1999, Nissan entered into a new alliance Renault S.A. of France. Today, Renault owns 44.3% of Nissan shares, while Nissan holds 15% of Renault shares. Mitsubishi was added to the alliance in 2016, and the three companies share technology and development costs. Nissan is considered a leader in safety technology, fuel efficient powertrains, and alternatively-powered vehicles, such as the Leaf. Its annual income is in the range of US$110 billion.
