Datsun

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
legal form	Kabushiki kaisha (joint stock company)
founding	December 26, 1933
Seat	Yokohama , Japan
management	Yoshisuke Ayukawa ( Nissan Founder) Katsuji Kawamata (Nissan President) Jose Roman, CEO
Branch	Automobile manufacturer
Website	www.datsun.com

Datsun is the oldest existing automobile manufacturer in Japan . The brand name Datsun , originally as Datson , was introduced in 1931 by the DAT Motorcar Company for a new car model. This was smaller than the models in the DAT 41 car series , so the name referred to the DAT's son . However, after a year the last syllable of the name was changed to "sun" (English for "sun"), since son means "loss" in Japanese, while the sun is also part of the Japanese flag . This is how the name Datsun came about .

In 1934, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd took control of DAT Motorcar Co. While Nissan cars were initially only represented in the luxury class and replaced the DAT 41 , the Datsun cars were incorporated as mass vehicles. The export of vehicles from the Nissan concern outside of Asia began in the 1950s. The cars and commercial vehicles marketed as Nissan in the Japanese market were also marketed as Datsun for export. One of the main reasons besides the lower advertising expenditure was that Nissan produced many military products during World War II and the brand name therefore had a negative connotation, especially in the United States .

In 1974 it was decided to change strategy and phase out the Datsun brand. The reason was that the change of the name through a future global strategy would increase the value of the group. From 1984 the name Datsun disappeared in Europe and North America , in Asia gradually until March 1986. The only exception was the Datsun pick-up , which continued to be marketed as Datsun in Asia and Africa . The model known in Europe as the D22 was the last model to be offered as the Datsun for the time being. It was introduced by Nissan in Japan in 2001. However, the designation as Datsun was only limited to a certain model of the series. In October 2002 this was also dropped.

On March 20, 2012, it was announced that Nissan would like to revive the brand for use in emerging markets. The first new Datsun model is the Datsun Go , for which pictures, technical details and price information were published on July 15, 2013.

history

The origins of Datsun

Before the start of Datsun, Kaishinsha Jidōsha Kōjō ( 快 進 社 自 働 車 工場 , English Kaishinsha Motorcar Works Tokyo district Azabu-Hiroo) built an automobile called DAT in 1914 . The name of the new car was an abbreviation of the surnames of the three corporate partners:

• Kenjirō D en ( 田 健 次郎 , Den Kenjirō )
• Rokurō A oyama ( 青山 禄 朗 , Aoyama Rokurō )
• Meitarō T akeuchi ( 竹 内 明 太郎 , Takeuchi Meitarō ).

Kenjirō Den, Rokurō Aoyama and Meitarō Takeuchi were friends and financiers of Masujirō Hashimoto, one of the founders of the Japanese automotive industry. He founded Kaishinsha Jidōsha Kōjō in 1911 . In 1918 this was reorganized as a stock corporation KK Kaishinsha ( 株式会社 快 進 社 , Kabushiki kaisha Kaishinsha ) and in 1925 to the limited partnership GK DAT Jidō Shōkai ( 合資 会 社 ダ ッ ト 自動 車 商会 , Gōshi-gaisha Datto ~ , English. DAT Motorcar and Co. , renamed . ) they also designed and produced trucks in addition to the DAT passenger cars. At the same time, the company began specializing in the production of commercial vehicles from 1918, as the demand for passenger cars fell at this time. Kaishinsha assembled the first DAT truck for the military sector.

Declining demand from the military sector in the 1920s forced DAT Jidō Shōkai to consider the merger with other automobile manufacturers. In 1926 the Tokyo-based DAT Jidō Shōkai with the Osaka- based Jitsuyō Jidōsha Seizō KK (English Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd. or Jitsuyo Motors ; founded in 1919 as a subsidiary of Kubota ) became DAT Jidōsha Seizō KK ( ダ ッ ト 株式会社. 車 製造 製造 製造 ッ ト 株式会社. 車 車 車 製造 ッ ト 株式会社 , DAT Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. ), based in Osaka. Jitsuyō Jidōsha began producing a three-wheeled vehicle with a closed cabin in 1920, developed by William R. Gorham , which was followed by a four-wheeled version the following year. From 1923 to 1925 Jitsuyō Jidōsha also produced cars and trucks under the name "Lila".

DAT Jidōsha Seizō had been selling mid-range cars under the name DAT since 1914 . In 1930, the Japanese government issued a ministerial ordinance that allowed cars with engines up to 500 cm³ to be driven without a license . As a result, DAT Jidōsha Seizō began developing a line of passenger cars with a 495 cm³ engine in order to sell these cars in the new market segment under the project name "Son of DAT", which eventually became the name Datson .

The first prototype of the Datson was completed in the summer of 1930; the production vehicle built between 1931 and 1932 was the Datson 10 . After a hurricane damaged the plant, repairs had to be made; at the same time, the model was revised. The name has now been changed to Datsun due to the reasons mentioned above and so the Datsun 11 was the first Datsun to start in 1932 . In 1931, the automotive supplier Tobata Casting , which had previously also supplied DAT, took over DAT Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. In 1928 the company holding company Nihon Sangyo was formed, whose shares were listed on the Japanese stock exchange under the symbol Ni-San . The owner was Yoshisuke Aikawa , who also owned the Tobata Casting company.

For 1933 the government had revised the regulation and increased the limit to 750 cm³. DAT also used this and upgraded the model to the Datsun 12 . After another revision to the Datsun 13 , a small truck from the series has now also been produced, the Datsun Truck .

In 1933, Tobata Casting and Nihon Sangyo merged and on December 26th the company was renamed Jidosha Seizo Co., Ltd. , which can be roughly translated as 'automobile manufacturer', was newly founded with a capital of 10 million yen . Datsun was to produce vehicles for mass demand in the future, while the higher-priced segment was to be served under a new brand name. In March 1933, Tobata Casting acquired a large site in Yokohama on which an automobile factory was to be built. For the planned plant it was necessary to recruit engineers in the United States and to procure equipment and tools for production. This task was entrusted to the American engineer William R. Gorham , who lives in Japan and who had been with Aikawa's company since 1921. During his trip, Gorham was able to acquire almost new, decommissioned production facilities from the US automobile manufacturer Graham-Paige .

In May 1934, the Yokohama factory was finally completed.

After Ni-San became a major shareholder at a shareholders' meeting in June 1934, Datsun's parent company was renamed Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. , which is still valid today . renamed and Aikawa was named the company's first president.

The history of Datsun before and during World War II

In 1935 the company in Yokohama had built a real production line modeled on the Ford Motor Company and was now producing the Datsun 14 . Six models of these early Datsuns were exported to New Zealand in 1936 , a market that Datsun did not officially supply until May 1962. In 1937, in addition to the Datsun 16 and the Datsun truck, the Nissan 80 truck for the Imperial Japanese Army and the first Nissan car, the Nissan 70, were produced in the Yokohama plant. Due to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War , car production was limited and mainly trucks were produced.

The Datsun 17, which was released in 1938, was already much more Spartan due to the scarcity of raw materials during the war, and production was completely stopped at the end of 1938. In production, the Nissan 90 , based on the Nissan 80 truck, was added, while the Nissan 70, which was mainly supplied to the military, was then discontinued in 1943. It was not until 1960 that a Nissan car came onto the market again, the Nissan Cedric . In 1944 production of the Datsun truck also ended and only the Nissan 80 and 90 were still produced for the army.

The history of Datsun after the Second World War until the brand was temporarily discontinued

When the Pacific War ended, Datsun initially only produced trucks for the occupation forces. In 1946 production of the Datsun 1121 started, based on the last Datsun truck derived from the Datsun 17. The Datsun 17 was also the basis for Datsun's first post-war model, the Datsun DA , with which car production was resumed in 1947. As early as 1948, the Datsun DA was replaced by the revised Datsun DS model. In 1952 the Datsun DC-3 was added to the range, establishing Datsun's history as a sports car manufacturer . All previous Datsun models were similar to the contemporary models from the Austin Motor Company .

After the Japanese production facilities controlled by the occupation forces came back under Japanese control in 1955, Nissan made contact with Austin and signed a cooperation agreement with Austin. This authorized the group to produce the Austin A40 as the Nissan A40 and the Austin A50 Cambridge as the Nissan A50 using badge engineering . In addition, all components could be used for own developments. As a result, the Datsun 110 developed by Datsun on Austin components and a Datsun pick-up derived from it appeared in 1955 . In 1957 this series was introduced by the Datsun 210 including its derived pick-up, which became the founder of the Datsun Bluebird series. In 1958 the Datsun Cablight came on the market, a small van that was located below the Nissan trucks and buses, but supplemented the Datsun pick-up range in terms of payload and body variants. It was later replaced by the Datsun Cabstar , also available in Europe .

1959 began the production of the Datsun Fairlady sports car / roadster series, which was also one of the first export models and was cheaper than similar models from MG and Triumph . This was replaced in 1968 by the Datsun Z series. This affordable sports car was very profitable for Datsun and became the best-selling sports car in the world at the time. It had the engine and chassis components of the Bluebird.

The Fairlady was followed in 1964 by the Datsun Coupe 1500 based on the Fairlady; it became known in export as the Datsun 200SX in the evolution of the model series . In 1966, in the compact car segment, the Datsun Sunny , with rear-wheel drive and still smaller in size , was launched as a competitor to the Toyota Corolla . The Japanese demand for vehicles in the so-called one-box design, with narrow external dimensions and lots of cargo space in a small area, was met by Datsun from 1969 with the Datsun Sunny Cab , which was equipped with components from both the Sunny and the Bluebird. 10 years later this was replaced by the Datsun C20, which was also known in Europe as the Datsun Vanette .

In 1970 the first front-wheel drive vehicle from the Nissan Group was presented, the Datsun Cherry , which initially took over the function of the now larger Datsun Sunny. Later, like the Sunny, it belonged to the compact class. The Datsun Violet first appeared in 1973 and was derived from the Bluebird, but positioned higher in terms of design, performance and equipment. In the export it was later known as Datsun Stanza and replaced by this. After, apart from the model series already listed, most of the Datsun models that became known in export were "only" Nissan models marketed as Datsun, a real innovation from Datsun came onto the market in 1981 with the Datsun Prairie . The high-roof station wagon based on the Datsun Stanza was the first compact van .

The last model developed by Datsun was the Datsun Micra . The small car replaced the Datsun Cherry, which had moved into the compact class, and was also the first car model of the Nissan Group to be built for Europe from the start, initially at Nissan Motor Ibérica . The Datsun 720 pick-up was largely the last model to be exported as the Datsun. Its successor, the Nissan D21 pick-up, was only marketed as Datsun until 1997 in South Africa and its home market. The successor model of this series, the Nissan Pick-up D22 , was finally available from 2001 to 2002 in a specific model variant on the home market as the Datsun Pick-up, but that ended the history of the Datsun brand for the time being.

Datsun as an export brand

Before entering the American market in 1958 Nissan produced in addition to trucks and later as a Nissan Patrol known SUV only the upper class -Pkw Nissan 70 . The passenger cars in the mass market were produced exclusively as Datsun. So it was only natural for Nissan executives to use this successful name in export as well. To make matters worse for the American market, the Americans associated Nissan with the manufacture of military products for the Japanese army. Nissan's involvement in the Japanese defense industry had been substantial.

In 1939, the founder and president of Nissan, Yoshisuke Aikawa, founded the Manchurian Motor Company in Japanese-occupied Manchuria and had military trucks manufactured there. Aikawa was also a major partner of the Japanese colonial government of Manchukuo, and Nissan Heavy Industries ultimately emerged as a major player in the Japanese war machine. After the end of the war, the Soviet Union confiscated all assets of Nissan Manchuria, while the occupation forces in Japan used more than half of the Yokohama plant for their needs.

Aikawa Yosuke

General MacArthur had Aikawa imprisoned as a war criminal for 21 months . After his release he was allowed to return to a corporate or public office until 1951 and to return to Nissan, which resumed car production from Datsun in 1947 and in 1949 in Nissan Motor Company Ltd. was renamed, prohibited. Yutaka Katayama, who was entrusted with setting up Nissan activities in the USA and was previously responsible for Nissan products outside of automobile production in the USA, supported the name Datsun.

Katayama had his personal wartime experiences in the back of his mind when he was employed at the Nissan Manchuria truck plant in 1939 and witnessed appalling conditions such as forced labor by the Chinese. In 1945, shortly before the end of the war, Katayama was ordered to return to the Manchurian facility, but he refused. Katayama wanted to build and sell cars for private individuals rather than the military. For him the name Datsun, unlike Nissan, was unscathed in its purity by the war; in the end, his opinion prevailed at Nissan.

Katayama, he became Vice President of the Nissan North America subsidiary in 1960 and was then President of the Nissan Motor Company USA from 1965 to 1975. During this time he fought off any attempt to market the models sold in the USA under the name Nissan. Only the little-selling Nissan Cedric , an upper class - sedan was available in the US as Nissan. As president of the important export market North America, he also had a significant influence on the development of future models. So he swore to improve the economy of the cars. Then, before Detroit ( Ford , GM and Chrysler ) realized this, customers would see Nissan as a great automaker. If you work hard to sell your own cars, you won't be affected by what other manufacturers are doing. If you just look at what the other manufacturers are doing, you will definitely lose.

The first product officially exported worldwide was the Datsun Bluebird in the 210/211 series with the 850 cc, 25 hp Nissan D four-cylinder petrol engine. In the American market, Datsun began selling in California in 1958 . 1959 followed the establishment of a dealer network in the USA and the sale of the Datsun Bluebird 310 series .

Export increased production from 1960 onwards, and a new plant was built in Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture , south of Yokohama, and opened in 1962. In 1961, 200,000 Bluebirds were sold, of which 100,000 were exported.

At this time, the export to European countries was also increasingly started. In Germany, Datsun was officially represented on the vehicle market from 1973.

Discontinuation of the brand 1981–1986

The main headquarters of the Nissan concern had long considered discontinuing the Datsun brand. For example, in 1973, Katsuji Kawamata, president of Nissan Motor Company Ltd, said in Japan, "opposition to the use of the name Datsun is a long-kept official secret." Kawamata was a veteran of Nissan at the time and one in the final year of his presidency powerful figure in the company with more than two decades of experience. He owed his rise to the leadership position in 1957 in part to his handling of the 100-day Nissan strike that began on May 25, 1953. During his tenure as president, Kawamata expressed regret that not all cars would bear the company designation, such as that of Toyota . In retrospect, he wished that all cars had already been named Nissan when exports started. But Datsun was a nickname for cars when they started exporting. During the tenure of the new president in 1974, the decision was made to abandon the Datsun brand name worldwide in order to strengthen the name of the Nissan company.

The decision to rename Datsun to Nissan was announced in the fall of 1981 and implemented from 1982. The rationale was that the name change was in pursuit of a global corporate strengthening strategy. A single name worldwide would enable advertising campaigns, brochures and promotional materials to be used in each country, increasing product design and manufacturing simplification. Furthermore, potential buyers would know or get to know the name and the product when traveling to other countries.

However, industry observers speculated that the main motivation was that a name change would increase Nissan stocks and bonds in the US, as potential investors would now be more likely to associate the stocks with the products and market successes. In addition, Nissan executives probably bothered that Toyota and Honda were becoming well-known brands in North America.

In Europe and the USA, the name Nissan appeared for the first time alongside Datsun as Nissan-Datsun on vehicles, at dealerships and in advertising from 1982 onwards. However, the introduction to the vehicles was still different. The models already offered as Nissan in the home market were only introduced as Nissan when the model was changed, for example the Nissan Sunny B12 in 1982 . The Datsun Micra , introduced in Europe in 1983 , only became the Nissan Micra in 1984. Other models like the Datsun Prairie started out as the Nissan Datsun.

Ultimately, the name change in the export markets spanned about a period of three years from 1981 to 1984. The change cost Nissan about 500 million US dollars in North America , including changing the emblems at 1,100 Datsun dealerships, which cost about 30 million dollars. Another 200 million dollars were spent on advertising campaigns between 1982 and 1986, where the local marketing slogan “Datsun, drives us” was combined with the message “the name is Nissan”. The latter message was used for several years beyond 1986. Datsun ads that were stopped or never used cost another $ 50 million. Five years after the name change, Datsun was still more familiar than Nissan, despite the effort.

Datsun pick-up until 2002

Datsun pick-up D21

The only exception was the Datsun Pick-up D21, which continued to be marketed as Datsun in its home market and in South Africa until 1997. In Europe this model was known as the Nissan D21 pick-up . There was a model of the Nissan D22 pick-up in Japan from 2001 that was offered as Datsun and was initially the last model from Datsun. However, it was only limited to a specific model in the range and was dropped again in October 2002. The Datsun brand was history until its reintroduction in 2014.

Re-launch of the Datsun brand in 2014

On March 20, 2012, Nissan announced a plan to re-launch Datsun as a low-cost brand 31 years after announcing its discontinuation. The brand's reputation for reliability and durability would help it quickly capture market share in emerging markets. Datsun models have been offered in Indonesia , Russia , India and South Africa since 2014 . In 2016, Kazakhstan , Belarus, Nepal , Lebanon and Sri Lanka were added as sales markets. The first new models were the Datsun Go , which debuted in India, and the Datsun GO + , which debuted in Indonesia. Two models based on the Nissan Note , which is about to be replaced, were initially planned for the Russian market . With the majority takeover of Renault-Nissan in the Russian carmaker AwtoWAS , two Datsun models based on Lada models were implemented: the Datsun on-DO based on the Lada Granta , and the Datsun mi-DO based on the Lada Kalina .

Starting in 2016, up to 100,000 Datsun vehicles are to be produced in Russia each year.

On October 29, 2015, Datsun's boss Vincent Cobee announced that 100,000 vehicles had been sold worldwide in the first year since the brand was reintroduced. The mark of 200,000 models sold was reached in 2016. It is not yet known whether Datsun models will later also be offered in Western Europe, North America or Japan.

Models

Vehicles after the reintroduction of Datsun in 2014

Small car

construction time	model series	annotation	image
since 2014	Datsun Go	The technical basis of the Go is provided by the Nissan Micra . The model has been offered first in India since 2014 and later also in other Asian and African markets.
since 2014	Datsun on-DO	The Lada Granta provides the technical basis of the on-DO . The model has been offered for the first time in Russia since 2014 .
since 2015	Datsun mi-THU	The technical basis of the mi-DO is provided by the Lada Kalina . The model has been offered for the first time in Russia since 2015 .
since 2016	Datsun redi-GO	The technical basis of the redi-GO is provided by the Renault-Nissan CMF-A platform , which is also used by the Renault Kwid . The model has been offered for the first time in India since 2016 .

Minivan

construction time	model series	annotation	image
since 2014	Datsun GO +	The technical basis of the Go + is provided by the Nissan Micra . The model has been offered for the first time in Indonesia since 2014 .

Crossover

construction time	model series	annotation	image
since 2018	Datsun Cross	A small SUV with 5 + 2 seats. The model has been offered for the first time in Indonesia since 2018 .

Historical models

DAT models

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1914-1918	DAT	The DAT models were among the first cars to be developed and built in Japan and were located in the luxury class.
1918–…	DAT 41	Roadster or sedan with a 4-cylinder gasoline engine with 15 hp.
1918-1935	DAT truck	The trucks and delivery vans were derived from the DAT passenger cars. They were replaced by the Nissan 80 after the takeover by Nissan .

Vehicles developed as Datsun

Small car

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1930-1932	Datson 10	The Datson 10 (= "DAT Son", son of DAT) was introduced in 1930 and produced from 1931 onwards. It was powered by a 495 cc DAT four-cylinder petrol engine with side control, which offered 10 hp. It was available as a roadster, touring car and panel van .
1932-1933	Datsun 11	The Datsun 11 was the first car to bear the Datsun brand name. The 11 was a further developed Datson 10. It was also available as a convertible , roadster and coupé .
1933-1935	Datsun 12 Datsun 13	Further development of the Datsun 11 with a 748 cm³ engine with 12 HP output due to the changed regulations, as well as minor changes to the body. With the Datsun 13 there were further minor visual changes and for the first time a truck (pick-up) variant called the Datsun Truck .
1935-1936	Datsun 14	A Datsun 13 with minor changes to the design, especially the other grille. Technically, however, with the new Datsun Type 7 engine, a four-cylinder engine with 722 cc and 15 hp.
1936-1937	Datsun 15	Technically a Datsun 14 with the same engine but higher compression and now 16 HP. New enlarged body but less chrome usage overall due to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War .
1937-1938	Datsun 16 Datsun 17	A Datsun 15 with even more spartan equipment due to the war. The Datsun 16 did not have its own Datsun truck, but the version of the Datsun 15 continued to be built. The Datsun 17 was an even more simplified version of the 16 due to the scarcity of materials during the war. Production stopped at the end of 1938, while the truck version continued to be produced until 1944.
1966-1970	Sunny B10	The first Datsun Sunny was first introduced in 1966. Its main competitor was the Toyota Corolla and like this the first version was a small car and was marketed in export as the Datsun 1000.
1970-1977	Cherry E 10	The Datsun Cherry was the first car from the Nissan Group with front-wheel drive . Originally, development of the model began at Prince Motor Company, which was taken over by Nissan . The first generation of the Cherry had the size of a small car and replaced the Sunny, which had moved up into the compact class. In addition to E 10, it was also marketed as Datsun 100A / 120A or Datsun 1000.
1982-1983	Datsun Micra	The Datsun Micra appeared at the end of 1982 and was the first model from the group that was built for Europe from the start, first at Nissan Motor Ibérica . In addition to Micra, he was also marketed as March . It started in Germany in 1983 and, like everywhere else in the world, was sold as the Nissan Micra from 1984.

Compact class

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1970-1981	Sunny B110 / B210 / B310	The Sunny B110, launched in 1970, and its successors were larger than the first models and now in the compact class. The Sunny B310 was the last Sunny to be developed as Datsun. The export names of the various versions were Datsun 1200, Datsun 120Y / 140Y / 150Y, Datsun B-210 and Datsun B-310.
1974-1988	Cherry F-II (F10)	The Cherry F-II appeared in 1974 and had also grown and now settled in the compact class. Due to the baroque design and the higher price, the buyers held back and that is why the predecessor continued to be produced in parallel until 1977. In export, it was also marketed as Datsun 100A / 120A F-II and Datsun 210. The successor model was then already a Nissan, which was marketed as Datsun.

Middle class

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1947-1948	Datsun DA	The DA was Datsun's first post-war passenger car, but it was based on the Datsun 1121 , but at that time it was middle class. He shared many components with the 1121 Truck, which in turn largely corresponded to the pre-war Truck 17 to enable easier production. In mid-1948, production was stopped due to a shortage of raw materials. In 1950 it was then produced again as the DS, slightly modified.
1950-1955	Datsun DS	The DS series was based on the 4146 truck and was the successor to the DA. It still largely corresponded to Datsun 17 from the pre-war period. In 1951 the body of the 3-door was changed for the first time and from 1952 it was now a completely redesigned 4-door sedan. From 1955 the model series was replaced by the 110.
1955-1957	Datsun 110/112/113	The 110 series was also a result of the contract with Austin and the successor to the DS series. The technology was adopted from the models built under license or used as the basis for our own developments. Sedans, convertibles and station wagons were available. The legendary Datsun pick-up series of the post-war Datsun Truck also started with a model based on the 110.
1957-1961	Datsun 210	The 210 was the further development of the 110 series and was first given the nickname Bluebird for specially equipped versions. A cheaper variant was offered as the 114/115 with the body of the 210 and the technology of the 110 series. The 210 was the first model to be exported to North America and was offered there as the Datsun 1000. From 1959 the 210 was only offered on the domestic market as a Bluebird. There was no longer a cabriolet version.
1961-1983	Datsun Bluebird	In 1961 the Bluebird (310) was introduced. From the 1967 generation, there was also a coupe in addition to station wagons and sedans. The export names ranged from Datsun 310 to 810 in North America, Datsun 1600, Datsun 160, Datsun 180B, Datsun 200B in Europe and Oceania until finally the last Datsun Bluebird (910) outside of North America was also offered as a Bluebird. In North America, the 910 was initially offered with higher-quality equipment as the 810 Maxima and from 1981 only as the Datsun Maxima.
1977-1981	Datsun 160B / 180B / 200B Datsun 810	The 160B / 180B / 200B was a derivative of the Bluebird 810 and differed from it in that it had an elongated front in order to be able to install a larger 4-cylinder engine. The 200B was produced in Australia and the 160B / 180B in New Zealand . The same body was also produced in Japan as the Datsun 810. As such, it received a 2.4-liter V6 petrol engine for the USA, but was also offered on the home market.

upper middle class

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1948-1954	Datsun DB	The DB series was completely redesigned and also the first newly designed passenger car model in Japan. However, it was a perfect pirated copy of the Crosley CC . In the Group's model hierarchy, it was the successor to the Nissan 70 . The DB series was also the first model series officially exported to other Asian countries and was replaced by the Nissan A50 .
1973-1977	Datsun Violet	The first model (710/711) of the Violet was derived from the Bluebird 610 and was offered as a sedan, hardtop coupé and station wagon. Technically and in terms of equipment, it was positioned higher than the Bluebird. In export the model was offered as Datsun 140J and 160J. The station wagon replaced the station wagon model of the Bluebird in North America as the Datsun 510.
1977-1985	Datsun Stanza	The Datsun Stanza was the successor to the Violet and was now technically different from the Bluebird. However, curiously enough, until 1981 it was offered on the home market as well as in export as the Datsun Violet A10 / A11. Other export names in addition to Stanza were Datsun 140J / 160J and the combination model as Datsun 510 in North America. In the home market there was also a variant as a Nissan oyster. The 2 series T11 from 1981 was then marketed for export as Stanza and the name Violet was also omitted on the home market. The T11 Stanza was the first mid-range car from Datsun or in the Nissan Group with front-wheel drive. From 1985 the Nissan Stanza, which was not offered everywhere, followed.
1980-1984	Datsun Maxima	The Datsun Maxima was first introduced as the Datsun 810 Maxima as the successor to the Datsun (Bluebird) 810. The 810 Maxima was a Bluebird 910, but with an extended wheelbase and a longer front so that V6 petrol and diesel engines could be installed especially for the US market. From 1981 the available sedan and station wagon versions were only marketed as Maxima. From 1984 then as Nissan-Datsun Maxima, until 1984 a new Nissan Maxima appeared.

Coupé , roadster , sports car

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1952-1959	Datsun DC-3	The sports car and roadster Sports DC-3 appeared in 1952 based on the DSEXA and was intended to build on the history of the Datsun 11-17 series roadsters built before the war.
1959-1970	Datsun Fairlady	The Fairlady was the successor to the DC-3. The sports car that was initially introduced as Datsun Sports was available as a roadster variant. It was one of the first models to be exported to North America and was given the name of the Broadway musical My Fair Lady . The models, which were only built in small series, made Datsun famous worldwide.
1964-1968	Datsun Coupe 1500	The coupe based on the Fairlady was also marketed in the home market as the Nissan Silvia and designed by the German designer Albrecht Graf von Goertz . Only a few models were exported because the purchase price was high, but the model was also very exclusive.
1969-1988	Datsun Z	The legendary Datsun Z was sold as a 240Z, 260Z or 280Z depending on the engine. In Japan, like its predecessor, it was called Fairlady.
1975-1983	Datsun 200SX	The 200 SX was introduced in 1975 as the successor to the Datsun Coupe 1500 as a sports coupe. Again he was offered on the home market as Nissan Silvia. The 2nd generation was offered as an export model in Mexico as Datsun Sakura. The successor model was then generally marketed as the Nissan 200SX, but sometimes continued as the Nissan Silvia.
1979-1983	Datsun 280ZX	The Datsun 280ZX replaced the Z series and was replaced by the 300 ZX in 1983. The model was available with glass roof halves (Targa roof).
1983-1985	Datsun 300ZX	The Datsun 300ZX replaced the 280 ZX and was unusually presented as such and marketed worldwide despite the discontinuation plans for the Datsun brand. It was not marketed as the Nissan 300ZX until 1986.

Compact van

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1981-1984	Datsun Prairie	Introduced in 1981, the Prairie was the world's first compact van. It was based on the Datsun Stanza and was also offered with all-wheel drive . From 1984 it was marketed as Nissan Prairie.

Van

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1971-1978	Datsun Cherry Cab Coach	The Datsun Cherry Cab Coach was based on the Cherry Cab minibus and was more luxuriously equipped. It was only sold in Asian markets.
1978-1983	Datsun Vanette	Originally introduced as the Datsun C20 Coach as the successor to the Cherry Cab Coach, it was renamed Datsun Vanette in 1980. In the home market it was also offered as the Nissan Sunny Vanette, while in North America it was marketed as the Datsun C20 Van. After the general renaming of the C20 to Vanette, it was offered in Europe as Datsun Vanette Van and in North America as Datsun Van, while the name Coach was added in the home market. Since 1984 the model has been marketed as the Nissan Vanette.

Pickup truck , minibus

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1934-1944 and 1944-1955	Datsun trucks	Small flatbed trucks, called trucks, were also produced from the Datsun models 13-17. The revised Datsun 17 truck was produced as Datsun 1121 after the end of the war from 1946 to 1955.
1955-1997	Datsun truck	Various pick-ups based on the 110 and 210 and later the Bluebird were produced as Datsun trucks. From 1972 there were independent models. The last model was the Datsun D21 which was offered in Japan and South Africa as the last Datsun model. In Europe it was marketed as the Nissan Pick-up D21 and in North America as the Nissan Hardbody Truck .
1958-1968	Datsun Cablight	The Cablight pickup truck was built in two generations as a flatbed truck (automobile) , station wagon , minibus and panel van .
1968-1976	Datsun Cabstar A320	The Cabstar replaced the Cablight and was replaced by a Nissan based model in 1976. Since 1984, the model, which is now only built as a truck in Spain , has also been marketed in Europe as the Nissan Cabstar.
1969-1988	Datsun Sunny / Cherry Cab	The Sunny / Cherry Cab was built as a flatbed, minibus and panel van. The Van Coach was derived from the minibus.
1978-1984	Datsun C20 , Datsun Vanette	The C20 replaced the Sunny / Cherry Cab and was again offered on the home market as the Sunny / Cherry Cab until 1982. A van version of the C20 was also available as a coach, which was renamed the Vanette in 1980. In 1982 the C20 was generally renamed Vanette, which means that the models were now named Datsun Sunny or Cherry Vanette. They were also offered on the home market as Nissan. In export as Datsun C20 and from 1982 as Datsun Vanette (Europe). The model range has been offered as the Nissan Vanette since 1984
1982-1984	Datsun Vanette Largo / Cargo	The Datsun Vanette Largo was a stretched version of the Vanette and was built as a panel van and minibus in Spain for Europe from 1982. Since 1985 the model, which is now only available in Japan, has been marketed as Nissan. Unlike in Europe, there were and are also flatbed models.

Vehicles exported as Datsun

Compact class

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1978-1983	Nissan Pulsar	The Nissan Pulsar was sold as Datsun Cherry N10 or Datsun 100A-150A in Europe from 1978 to 1983 . In Australia, Malaysia and South Africa as Datsun Pulsar (in South Africa it was also produced under this name). In the USA the sedan versions and the station wagon were marketed as the Datsun 310, but the coupe as the Nissan Pulsar.

Middle class

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1968-1981	Nissan Skyline	The skyline, taken over by the Prince Motor Company , was marketed as the Datsun Skyline in North America from 1968 . From 1972 it was also available as Datsun 160K, 180K, 240K and 280K on other export markets. The C110 sedan and coupé were marketed in Germany as the Datsun 240K-GT from June 1973 to July 1978. As the top model of the Datsun brand in Germany, the C210 Coupé was marketed as the Datsun Skyline from October 1978 to July 1981.

upper middle class

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1965-1983	Nissan Cedric	The Cedric was exported as Datsun 2000/2300/2400 from 1965 and as Datsun 200/220/240/260 / 280C from 1971.
1966-1983	Nissan Laurel	The Laurel was exported to Asia as Datsun Laurel from the start. As Datsun 1800 to North America and Datsun 200L to Europe. From 1977 it was then marketed alongside Laurel as the Datsun 180L / 200L / 240L / 280L. The 4th generation C31 1980 was then marketed uniformly as Laurel and offered as Datsun until mid-1983.

Van

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1973-1983	Nissan Caravan	Until 1983 the Nissan Caravan was offered as Datsun Urvan or Datsun Caravan. In Oceania as Datsun King Van.

Off-road vehicle

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1951-1983	Nissan Patrol	The Patrol was initially marketed as Datsun 4W60 / 61/65/66 for export but also partly on the home market. It was not until 1960 that the classic off-road vehicle was given the name Datsun Patrol. It did not come to Germany until 1980 and has been sold in Japan as the Nissan Safari since production began. The introduction in Europe began in mid-1980. There he stayed in the program until autumn 2009. Since then, it has been more of an SUV, as it lacks typical off-road vehicle properties such as a ladder frame.

truck

construction time	model series	annotation	image
1976-1984	Datsun Cabstar	The Datsun Cabstar F21 from 1976 was a Nissan Homer F20 converted by means of badge engineering . The Cabstar F22 from 1982 onwards was based on the Nissan Atlas and was built by Nissan Motor Ibérica . From 1984 it was also marketed in Europe as the Nissan Cabstar.

literature

• Jeff Daniels: Datsun: Powerful Challenger from the East. In: Tom Northey (Ed.): World of Automobiles. Volume 5, Orbis, London 1974, pp. 495-497.
• Joachim Kuch: Nissan since 1933. Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02491-8 .

Web links

Commons : Datsun  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website
• The Datsun Heritage Museum
• Datsun Builds Austin Cars under License
• Models from Datsun and their predecessor companies as well as from Nissan up to the 1980s
• A brief history of Nissan Motor Company
• First half of the history of Nissan

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The Japanese automotive industry. HUP, 1985, ISBN 0-674-47255-1 , p. 33.
2. ↑ Jeff Daniels: Datsun: Powerful Challenger from the East. In: Tom Northey (Ed.): World of Automobiles. Volume 5, Orbis, London 1974, p. 495.
3. ↑ India bound Datsun also wants to head to S Africa by 2014. ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Datsun as the entry-level brand for Asia, Eastern Europe and South Africa from 2014, accessed on February 28, 2013. 
4. ↑ Budget Car: This is the Datsun Go. Datsun Go in India from 2014, accessed July 16, 2013.
5. ^ The Complete Encyclopedia of Motor Vehicles 1885 to the Present Edited by GN Georgano 1968, EP Dutton and Company; New York, NY.
6. ↑ DAT model history (PDF; 222 kB)
7. ↑ Decree of the Japanese government 1930
8. ↑ Datson 1931 ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
9. ↑ Nissan Heritage ( Memento of the original from January 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ^ Daniels, pp. 496-497.
11. ^ Daniels, p. 497.
12. ↑ David Halberstam: The Reckoning. Avon Books, 1986, ISBN 0-380-72147-3 .
13. ↑ Yutaka Katayama: A Man Who Realized Dreams in America. Z Car Club Association, 1998, p. 36.
14. ^ Daniels, p. 496 caption.
15. ↑ ^{a b c d} Daniels, p. 496.
16. ^ Business Week, April 7, 1973, Interview with Katsuji Kawamata, President of Nissan Motor Company Ltd.
17. ↑ Business Week, April 7, 1973, p. 69.
18. ^ David A. Aaker: Managing Brand Equity: building on: The value of a brand. In: The Free Press. New York 1991, ISBN 0-02-900101-3 , Chapter 3, p. 57.
19. ↑ What is a name worth ( Memento of the original from May 8, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
20. ↑ Aaker, p. 56.
21. ↑ Datsun Pick-up D22 on Nissan History
22. ↑ Datsun global expansion reaches the Middle East as sales start in Lebanon . July 14, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
23. ↑ Datsun returns to Sri Lanka with all-new redi-GO . August 11, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
24. ↑ Manufacturer's sales information (English) . datsun.com. 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
25. ↑ Datsun will be back in 2014 . Autobild.de. April 12, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
26. ↑ Nissan's revived Datsun launches mi-Do hatchback . August 29, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
27. ↑ Datsun from 2014 in Russia . auto-motor-und-sport.de. March 21, 2012. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 16, 2016. 
28. ↑ Manufacturer website: 100.00 stories (English) . datsun.com. October 29, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
29. ↑ #DATSUNLOVE . October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
30. ↑ Jeremy Risdon: Pomchi Book of Cars, Vans & Light Trucks. Volume 1. Japan 1902-1934 . Pomchi Press, Yate 2017, ISBN 978-1-5332-8268-2 , pp. 40-41 (English).