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January 9, 1958 – Toyota and Datsun come to the USA
9Jan By Automotive History24 Comments
This Day

January 9, 1958 – Toyota and Datsun come to the USA

Actress Nobu McCarthy with a Datsun at the 1958 Imported Car Show in LA (USC Archive( On January 9, 1958, Nissan and Toyota showcased their cars in the USA for the first time at Imported Car Show in Los Angeles. While some Datsuns, Nissan’s vehicle trade name at the name, and some Toyotas came home with servicemen in the early 1950s, this was the first time that the two companies officially presented their cars to the American public. Overview of the 1958 Imported Car Show in LA (USC Archive) The vehicles showcased included a Datsun-1000 and a Toyota Toyopet Crown. Although Toyota had opened a Hollywood dealership in October of the previous year, sales didn’t begin until after the show. Toyota found their small, underpowered cars were not popular and headed back to the drawing b...
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December 26, 1933 – The beginning of Nissan
26Dec By Automotive History16 Comments
This Day

December 26, 1933 – The beginning of Nissan

DAT Type 11 Nissan can trace its roots back to the first Japanese automaker, Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works. The company's original three investors named its first car DAT, an acronym of their surnames. That car hit the market in 1914. By 1931 the company's name had changed to DAT Jidosha & Co. By that time its main automotive product was the DAT Type 11. (Pictured above). As a smaller version of the original DAT, it became known as the name Son of DAT, and later Datsun. That year DAT became affiliated with Tobata Casting, a part of the Nihon Sangyo holding company, AKA Nissan. On this day in 1933 Nissan leadership founded Jidosha-Seizo Kabushiki-Kaisha (Automobile Manufacturing Co.) to take over all automobile production for Tobata. A decision in June of the next year resulted in...
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October 23, 2007 – Nissan announces return of the GT-R
23Oct By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

October 23, 2007 – Nissan announces return of the GT-R

Nissan GT-R (center) with high performance Nissan Skyline models of different years surrounding it. By R30 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 At the Tokyo Motor Show on this day in 2007, Nissan officially announced the launch of its new "Supercar for anyone," the GT-R. Just prior to the announcement, a stream of the car completing a 7:38 lap time on the Nurburgring was broadcast to the audience. The time bested the Porsche 911 Turbo and captured the seventh fastest all time spot for a production car up to that point. The GT-R badge first appeared on a performance version of the Nissan Skyline in 1969. It disappeared following the 1974 model year and again showed up on Skylines from 1989 through 2002. Over the years the GT-R became an iconic trim level, leading the Japanese automaker to unleash t...
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The founding of Nissan
1Jun By Automotive History3 Comments
Business

The founding of Nissan

On December 26, 1933 Jidosha-Seizo Kabushiki-Kaisha, which stands for "Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd." in English, was founded in Japan. On this day, June 1, in 1934, that company changed its name to Nissan Motor Company. The company was originally founded to take over the production of all Datsun automobiles, which were at that time being produced by Tobata Casting Co. Ltd. In 1935 the first small Datsun’s rolled off the assembly line following grand plans by Nissan founder Yoshisuke Aikawa to mass produce 15,000 vehicles per year, a grand sum in Japan at the time. That year Datsuns also began to be exported to Australia. In 1936 Nissan purchased vehicle plans and plant facilities in order to produce Graham-Paige cars from the US in Japan. However, as it became apparent that war was c...
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