Nissan Division of Nissan Motor Corp. U.S.A., the No.*2 seller of foreign-badged cars and trucks in the United States, traces its history back to 1933, when Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. was founded in Tokyo.
A quarter of a century later, Nissan entered the U.S. market, showcasing its Datsun at the Los Angeles Imported Car Show in 1958. A contract with a dealer on each coast was signed, and 52 Datsuns were sold in America by the end of the year. A year later, 1,290 Datsuns were delivered to customers in a market that bought some 600,000 foreign vehicles.
The import market was almost strictly European in those days. Nissan and Toyota were the only Japanese participants, and their full-year sales in 1959 totaled 2,318.
To improve its U.S. market penetration, Nissan decided to form a company in America that would sell and service the cars. On Sept. 28, 1960, Nissan Motor Corp. U.S.A. came into being. In its initial year, 18 corporate employees and 60 dealers helped support total sales of 1,640 Datsun cars and trucks.
Today, Nissan companies in the United States employ more than 10,000 people, and another 60,000 work for the 1,090 Nissan and 148 Infiniti dealerships that sold 770,904 cars and light trucks last year.
Nissan vehicles carried the Datsun badge in this country until 1983.
The Datsun name became better recognized in 1965 thanks to an innovative ad campaign. The theme, 'Drive a Datsun, Then Decide,' quickly brought Datsun's car sales to record totals. The strong demand for Datsuns in the United States threatened to swamp Nissan's production capabilities.
Datsun sold its 100,000th car in America in 1967 and introduced its first American-styled car - the Datsun 510 sedan - in 1968. That year brought a record 57,926 sales and the first 5,000-car sales month.
In 1970, Nissan introduced its famous Z*car. Designed exclusively for the American market, the Datsun 240Z was a personal sports car that gained instant popularity. Its original sticker price was $3,526. The base price of its 1996 successor, the 300ZX, is $37,439.
During the 240Z's first three years, customers often waited up to a year for delivery. Over the years, the Z has continued to maintain a high profile. Nissan says it reached 1 million sales faster than any other sports car, accumulating numerous awards along the way.
Nissan sold its 1-millionth Datsun vehicle in the United States in 1973. Sales in that year totaled 317,900 vehicles, its best year ever in America up to that time.
To further improve its U.S. popularity, Nissan's parent company hired American auto designers to consult on future trends. Extensive research was conducted to determine what American consumers wanted in a car. In 1979, Nissan Design International Inc. was established in San Diego. It was Nissan's first overseas styling studio.
The 1980s brought rapid growth and massive change to Nissan Motor Corp. U.S.A. The first big change was the addition of Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corp. U.S.A., a manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tenn.
The $660 million facility built its first truck in 1983, just three years after construction began.
Nissan Motor Manufacturing has since ex-panded its operations to become one of the largest assembly plants in the United States, producing nearly 450,000 vehicles per year. It turned out its 1-millionth vehicle in 1992. Today, the facility builds the Altima, the 200SX, the Sentra and the pickup truck.
Moreover, the company represents Nissan's commitment to the U.S. economy, with investments totaling $1.35 billion. The plant employs 6,000 and has doubled its purchase of parts and materials from North American suppliers in the past five years.
Nissan's next major challenge occurred in 1983, when the company changed the name of its cars and trucks in the United States from Datsun to Nissan to increase worldwide recognition of the company.
It was a gradual transition that began with the replacement of the 60-foot-wide Datsun sign at the national headquarters in Carson, Calif., with the new Nissan name. New vehicles were introduced as Nissans, and older models phased in the name gradually. Dealerships changed their signage and the Nissan vehicle name became established in this country.
Also in 1983, Nissan Research and Development was established in Ann Arbor, Mich. There, technicians conduct studies on exhaust emissions, test Nissan vehicles for compliance with U.S. clean-air standards and fulfill EPA certification requirements.
In 1988, Nissan Research and De-velopment broadened its capacity to serve as an automotive engineering organization that can perform all of the development tasks re-quired to bring a vehicle from design to production. The r&d company opened a new national headquarters and technical center in Farmington Hills, Mich., in 1991.
Nissan entered the 1990s by unveiling a 'three-sedan strategy.' The program began with the 1993 introduction of the Altima, an all-new model based on the Stanza. By the end of the year, the Altima had become the best-selling new import nameplate in the United States.
An all-new Maxima was introduced in 1994, and in January 1995, Nissan unveiled a new Sentra to complete the marketing program.
In 1995, Nissan also introduced the 200SX, which replaced the two-door models in the Sentra line. This past winter brought the 1996 Pathfinder, a redesigned sport-utility.
Plans are under way to construct a new engine plant in Decherd, Tenn., that will supply four-valve-per-cylinder, dual-overhead-cam engines for Altimas built at Nissan Motor Manufacturing beginning in 1997.
Some 14.2 million Nissan Division vehicles have been sold in the United States since the brand arrived here in 1958.
Today, Nissan of Japan has 20 corporate operations in North America - 17 in the United States, two in Canada and one in Mexico.
Their activities include vehicle concept and design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing and financing. There is also a test center in Stanfield, Ariz.
Nonautomotive operations also are part of the web: Nissan Forklift Corp. in Marengo, Ill.; Nissan Marine & Power Products in Carrollton, Texas; and Nissan Textile Machinery Corp. in Charlotte, N.C.
Overseeing all of them is Nissan North America Inc. in Torrance, Calif.
