Nissan

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. traces its roots to 1911, when Masujiro Hashimoto founded Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works in Tokyo. Three years later, the company built its first car, the DAT, named after the initials of three investors: Den, Aoyama, and Takeuchi. The name Datsun emerged in 1932 as a play on 'son of DAT.' Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. was officially established on December 26, 1933, by Yoshisuke Aikawa, who had taken the company name from the Tokyo Stock Exchange ticker symbol of his holding company, Nihon Sangyo. Other key figures include Den Kenjiro and American engineer William R. Gorham, who helped develop early vehicles. The Datsun Type 15, launched in 1937, became Japan's first mass-produced car.

Nissan sells vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands, with performance division Nismo and luxury arm Autech offering specialized products. The company previously used the Datsun name, reviving it briefly in 2014 for emerging markets. Milestones include the 1957 debut of the Nissan Skyline, the 1969 Datsun Fairlady Z, and the 2010 launch of the Nissan LEAF, one of the first mass-market electric vehicles. At its 1985 peak, Nissan sold 830,000 cars annually in the United States. However, from 2017 to 2022, global sales dropped 40% and the stock price plunged 70%. The company missed the EV boom as Tesla surged ahead, and the LEAF remained largely unupdated.

In 2017, Nissan ranked as the sixth largest automaker globally. Revenue hit $78 billion in 2022, making it the ninth biggest car manufacturer worldwide. But the company posted a staggering ¥671 billion loss in the 2024/2025 fiscal year. New CEO Ivan Espinosa, who took office in 2025, responded with the 'Re:Nissan Recovery Plan': by 2027, Nissan will close seven factories and cut 20,000 jobs, slashing its model lineup from 56 to 45 to focus on profitability. The attempted merger with Honda fell through. As of November 2023, Renault holds a 15% voting stake in Nissan, while Nissan holds a reciprocal 15% stake in Renault. Nissan reduced its controlling stake in Mitsubishi Motors from 34% to 24% in November 2024. [edit]