Datsun [2] was a Japanese automobile manufacturer brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunched it in June 2013 as the brand for low-cost vehicles manufactured for emerging markets. Nissan considered phasing out the Datsun brand for a second time in 2019 and 2020,[3] eventually discontinuing the struggling brand in April 2022.[4]
In 1931, DAT Motorcar Co. chose to name its new small car "Datson", a name which indicated the new car's smaller size when compared to the DAT's larger vehicle already in production. When Nissan took control of DAT in 1934, the name "Datson" was changed to "Datsun", because "son" also means "loss" (損 son) in Japanese, and to honour the sun depicted in the national flag – thus the name Datsun: Dattosan (ダットサン).[5] The Datsun name is internationally well known for the 510, Fairlady roadsters, and the Z and ZX coupés.
History
Origin of Datsun
Before the Datsun brand name came into being, an automobile named the DAT car was built in 1914, by the Kaishinsha Motorcar Works (快進自動車工場), in the Azabu-Hiroo District in Tokyo. The new car's name was an acronym of the initials of the company partners:
Incidentally, datto (how a native Japanese speaker would pronounce "dat") means to "dash off like a startled rabbit" (脱兎), which was considered a good name for the little car.[6] The firm was renamed Kaishinsha Motorcar Co. in 1918, seven years after their establishment and again, in 1925, to DAT Motorcar Co. DAT Motors constructed trucks in addition to the DAT passenger cars. In fact, their output focused on trucks since there was almost no consumer market for passenger cars at the time. Beginning in 1918, the first DAT trucks were assembled for the military market. The low demand from the military market during the 1920s forced DAT to consider merging with other automotive industries. In 1926 the Tokyo-based DAT Motors merged with the Osaka-based Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd. (実用自動車製造株式会社) also known as Jitsuyo Motors (established 1919, as a Kubota subsidiary) to become DAT Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (ダット自動車製造株式会社) in Osaka until 1932. (Jitsuyo Jidosha began producing a three-wheeled vehicle with an enclosed cab called the Gorham in 1920, and the following year produced a four-wheeled version. From 1923 to 1925, the company produced light cars and trucks under the name of Lila.[7]
Relaunch
On 20 March 2012, it was announced that Nissan would revive the Datsun marque as a low-cost car brand for use in Indonesia, Nepal, South Africa, India, and Russia,[30] and on 15 July 2013, nearly three decades after it was phased out, the name was formally resurrected. Nissan said the brand's reputation for value and reliability would help it gain market share in emerging markets.[31] The Datsun brand was relaunched in New Delhi, India, with the Datsun Go, which went on sale in India in early 2014.[32][33] Datsun models are sold in Indonesia, Russia, India, Nepal and South Africa since 2014.[34][35]
Leadership
Models
- Datsun Go (2013–2022)
- Datsun Go+ (2013–2022)
- Datsun on-Do (2014–2020)
- Datsun mi-Do (2015–2020)
- Datsun redi-Go (2016–2022)
- Datsun Cross (2018–2020)
See also
- Datsun Sports
- Laurence Hartnett
- Yutaka Katayama
- Nissan
- Nissan Motor Car Carrier
- Sports Car International Top Sports Cars
Bibliography
External links
References
- https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/datsun-is-back-with-all-new-datsun-go-for-the-new-risers^
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- Gary Gastelu. Nissan is killing Datsun again, report says Fox News, 2020-05-13^