Nissan research

Nissan history: from the 1914 DAT car and Datsun to the Nissan Z, GT-R and Ariya

By CarWhere Research · Updated

Nissan traces its roots to the DAT car of 1914 and took the Nissan Motor name in 1934. Its cars reached the United States as Datsuns in 1958, the brand was phased out from 1981 in favor of Nissan, and US production began in Smyrna, Tennessee, in 1983. Later milestones include Infiniti, the LEAF, the GT-R and the Ariya.

Nissan history timeline

Milestones link to a full history page with years and production numbers, key variants, what changed and what to check before you buy one.

  1. 1914

    The DAT car

    Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works completed the DAT car, named for the initials of three investors: Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi.[1]

    Datsun to Nissan in the US history →

  2. 1932

    The Datsun name

    A small 495cc car became the Datsun. The name took DAT from the three investors' initials, with "son" changed to "sun" because "son" sounds like a Japanese word for disadvantage.[1]

    Datsun to Nissan in the US history →

  3. 1933–1934

    Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

    Jidosha Seizo Co., Ltd. was established in Yokohama on December 26, 1933, and the company changed its name to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in June 1934. Nissan sold cars badged both Datsun and Nissan.[1],[2]

    Datsun to Nissan in the US history →

  4. 1958–1960

    Datsun comes to America

    The first Datsun sedan, a 1200 with a 48-hp engine, arrived in the US in 1958, followed by the first Datsun compact pickup in 1959. Nissan Motor Corporation USA was established in Gardena, California, in 1960.[1],[3]

    Datsun to Nissan in the US history →

  5. 1968

    Datsun 510

    The Bluebird-based Datsun 510 arrived for 1968 with a 96-hp 1.6-liter four. Nissan says it sold 300,000 in the US through 1973.[3]

    Datsun to Nissan in the US history →

  6. 1969–1970

    Datsun 240Z

    The 240Z made its US debut at the 1969 New York Auto Show and went on sale as a 1970 model with a 150-hp 2.4-liter inline six and a $3,626 base price.[4],[5]

    Nissan Z generations: 240Z to today's Z history →

  7. 1981

    From Datsun to Nissan

    Nissan says the Datsun brand was phased out from 1981. In July 1981 it decided to adopt the unified brand name NISSAN for overseas markets, and its US heritage timeline dates worldwide marketing under the Nissan name to a 1981 corporate identity program.[1],[6],[7]

    Datsun to Nissan in the US history →

  8. 1980–1983

    Smyrna, Tennessee

    Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation U.S.A. was established in Smyrna in 1980. The first vehicle built there, a white 720 pickup, came off the line on June 16, 1983; the first Smyrna-built Sentra followed in March 1985.[1],[7],[8]

  9. 1989

    Infiniti

    Nissan launched its Infiniti line of luxury vehicles, and the Smyrna plant built its one-millionth vehicle.[1]

  10. 2001–2003

    Canton, Mississippi

    Construction of a vehicle assembly plant in Canton started in 2001 and the plant was inaugurated in 2003, the same year the 350Z brought the Z back and Nissan introduced its first full-size truck, the Titan.[1],[8]

  11. 2007–2008

    GT-R (R35)

    The GT-R debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2007, and the first US-spec car was delivered in California on July 7, 2008, as a 2009 model with 480 hp.[9],[10]

    Nissan GT-R history: Skyline GT-R to the R35 history →

  12. 2010

    LEAF

    Nissan unveiled the LEAF in 2009. The first US delivery, a black LEAF SL, was scheduled for December 11, 2010, at a Petaluma, California, dealer.[1],[11]

  13. 2022

    Seventh-generation Z and the Ariya

    The 2023 Z, the seventh generation and the first sold in the US without a number in its name, went on sale in summer 2022 with 400 hp. The 2023 Ariya, Nissan's first all-electric crossover, went on sale that fall from $43,190.[12],[13]

    Nissan Z generations: 240Z to today's Z history →

  14. 2024

    End of the R35 GT-R

    Nissan said GT-R production for North America would end in October 2024, after more than 17 years, and marked it with fewer than 200 Skyline and T-spec Takumi Edition cars.[14]

    Nissan GT-R history: Skyline GT-R to the R35 history →

Nissan Z generations in the US

US Z cars by generation, per Nissan releases and EPA model-year listings[4],[5],[12],[15],[16],[17],[18],[19],[20],[21],[22],[23]
GenerationCodeUS model yearsEngine and output (per Nissan)
Datsun 240Z / 260Z / 280ZS301970–1978240Z: 2.4L inline six, 150 hp; 260Z (1974): 2.6L, 140 hp; 280Z (1975): 2.8L
Datsun 280ZXS1301979–19832.8L L28E inline six with fuel injection; Nissan lists 132 hp and 135 hp for 1980 cars; turbo added in the early 1980s
300ZXZ311984–19893.0L V6; 1984 Turbo 200 hp
300ZXZ321990–19963.0L V6, 222 hp; Twin Turbo 300 hp
350ZZ332003–20093.5L V6: 287 hp at launch, 306 hp from 2007
370ZZ342009–20203.7L V6, 332 hp; NISMO 350 hp
ZSeventh generation2023–present3.0L twin-turbo V6, 400 hp; NISMO 420 hp

Full detail and buying advice: Nissan Z generations: 240Z to today's Z history.

Nissan GT-R (R35) output in the US

Standard GT-R horsepower by model year, per Nissan US releases[9],[24],[25],[26],[27],[28],[29],[30]
Model yearStandard GT-RGT-R NISMO
2009480 hp, 430 lb-ft—
2010485 hp, 434 lb-ft—
2012530 hp, 448 lb-ft—
2013545 hp, 463 lb-ft—
2015—600 hp, 481 lb-ft
2017565 hp, 467 lb-ft600 hp
2021565 hp, 467 lb-ft600 hp, 481 lb-ft
2024 (final)565 hp, 467 lb-ft600 hp, 481 lb-ft

Full detail and buying advice: Nissan GT-R history: Skyline GT-R to the R35 history.

Every Nissan model history

Origins

Sports cars

How to check a Nissan's factory build

Standardized 17-character VINs began with model year 1981[31]. For a 1981-or-later Nissan, CarWhere can check a VIN for licensed factory build data and, when it exists, list the equipment the vehicle was built with in plain English: see the Nissan build sheet by VIN. Coverage varies by VIN and model year. Earlier vehicles are identified by their original serial number, vehicle data plate and engine stampings instead.

Frequently asked questions

When was Nissan founded?

Jidosha Seizo Co., Ltd. was established in Yokohama on December 26, 1933, and renamed Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in June 1934. Its roots go back to the DAT car of 1914 and the Datsun name of 1932.

What does Datsun mean?

DAT came from the initials of three investors in Kwaishinsha, Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi. The "son" ending was changed to "sun" because "son" sounds like a Japanese word meaning disadvantage.

When did Nissan start selling cars in the US?

In 1958, when the first Datsun sedan, a 1200 with a 48-hp engine, arrived. The first Datsun pickup followed in 1959 and Nissan Motor Corporation USA was set up in Gardena, California, in 1960.

When did Datsun become Nissan?

Nissan says the Datsun brand was phased out from 1981, when it decided to use the unified NISSAN name in overseas markets. Nissan's sources don't give a single date when the last US Datsun was sold.

Where does Nissan build cars in the US?

Nissan's US plants are the Smyrna, Tennessee, assembly plant (first vehicle June 16, 1983), the Decherd, Tennessee, powertrain plant (1997) and the Canton, Mississippi, assembly plant (2003).

More Nissan research

Sources

Production figures, dates and ratings come from Nissan AG and Nissan of America press and heritage materials, official race results and reputable automotive press wherever available. References marked secondary are encyclopedic or enthusiast sources used only where a primary figure was not available. Market medians are CarWhere's own analysis of live US dealer listings from licensed vehicle-data providers.

  1. Nissan Heritage: 1910 – 2009 — Nissan USA Newsroom
  2. Evolution of the Sun — Nissan USA Newsroom
  3. Nissan Heritage Collection spotlight: Datsun 510 (Apr 5, 2023) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  4. Nissan Celebrates Four Decades of Sports Car Leadership With New, Limited Edition 370Z "40th Anniversary" Model — Nissan USA Newsroom
  5. Nissan announces U.S. pricing for 2020 370Z Coupe, 370Z NISMO and 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition — Nissan USA Newsroom
  6. Datsun Takes Next Step Toward Return of the Brand — Nissan Global Newsroom
  7. Our History: 1980s — Nissan Motor Co. (nissan-global.com)
  8. 40 years of people, product and purpose (May 17, 2023) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  9. All New 2009 Nissan GT-R Comes To North America (Nov 1, 2007) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  10. First U.S.-Spec Nissan GT-R Supercar Delivered To California Customer at 12:01 A.M. (Jul 7, 2008) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  11. Nissan to Make History With Delivery of World's First 100% Electric Nissan LEAF to California Consumer (Dec 10, 2010) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  12. 2023 Nissan Z Press Kit — Nissan USA Newsroom
  13. All-new 2023 Nissan Ariya electric crossover pricing starts at $43,190 (Sep 27, 2022) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  14. Nissan sunsets R35 generation GT-R with T-spec Takumi and Skyline limited editions (Jun 14, 2024) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  15. 1974 Datsun 260Z 2+2 (GRLS30) (Feb 28, 2010) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  16. 1980 Datsun 280ZX (Feb 28, 2010) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  17. Z special edition anniversary models: a look back (Apr 16, 2019) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  18. Nissan Z: 50 years of excitement (Sep 23, 2020) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  19. 2007 Nissan Z Receives 306 Horsepower Next-Generation 3.5-liter V6, Other Refinements — Nissan USA Newsroom
  20. New 2024 Nissan Z NISMO delivers thrilling performance from $64,990 — Nissan USA Newsroom
  21. EPA fueleconomy.gov model menu: Nissan, 1996 model year — U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov
  22. EPA fueleconomy.gov model menu: Nissan, 1997 model year — U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov
  23. EPA fueleconomy.gov model menu: Nissan, 2003 model year — U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov
  24. 2010 Nissan GT-R Press Kit — Nissan USA Newsroom
  25. 2012 Nissan GT-R Features More Horsepower, New "Black Edition," Revised Fascias and Carbon Fiber Interior Trim — Nissan USA Newsroom
  26. 2013 Nissan GT-R Press Kit — Nissan USA Newsroom
  27. Nissan announces U.S. pricing for 2015 GT-R NISMO — Nissan USA Newsroom
  28. Nissan announces U.S. pricing for 2017 Nissan GT-R Premium — Nissan USA Newsroom
  29. Nissan announces U.S. pricing for 2021 GT-R Premium and GT-R NISMO models (Aug 26, 2020) — Nissan USA Newsroom
  30. 2024 Nissan GT-R Press Kit — Nissan USA Newsroom
  31. 49 CFR Part 565 — Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) requirements — eCFR (U.S. Government)

Independent reference compiled by CarWhere Research — not affiliated with or endorsed by Nissan North America, Inc. or Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.. Nissan and the model names are trademarks of their owners.