Nissan through the years with all its ups and downs
In the early 1900s when most cars on the roads of Japan were Ford and GM, Yoshisuke Aikawa zealously undertook the manufacturing of cars with the conglomeration of DAT Jidosha Seizo Co. Ltd. The corporate name, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. that we know today came into existence in 1934.
The Datsun Model 14 was the first car to be completely manufactured and rolled out of the Yokohama plant in the month of April 1935.
After a successful run with many car models, the company changed its name to Nissan Heavy Industries Ltd. as the production of cars and trucks was completely stopped during WW II.
Nissan Sunny, a small car model of the company was sold as the Datsun 1000 in 1966 and although the production had stopped in Japan in 2004, it still continued in African and American markets
The company made a big splash with the launch of its famous ‘Z-series’ that was introduced in 1970. Now replaced by the 350Z, the 240Z was a flashy and powerful sports car and was sold in US at only $3,526 which was one-third the price of its European competitors.
After its peak in 1985 the company started to incur heavy losses till 1999. The company was revived by its strategic merger with Renault in 2000 and ended up as the largest automobile manufacturer in 2003. In 2006 Nissan announced the ‘Nissan Green Program’.
The company has been well known for its innovative technological designs, like Moving Object Detection (MOD), intelligent cruise control, intelligent brake assist, around view monitor, active head rest, smart auto headlights, etc. in order to make the drive more safe while not compromising on the great driving experience.
Nissan also recently developed its ‘Zero Emission’ first affordable car, Leaf, which is the first affordable green car powered by a lithium-ion battery. It has also been voted the World Car of the Year 2011.
Presently, Nissan sells Micra, Teana, X-Trail and 370Z car models in India and is continuously expanding with its huge dealer networks.
