Glendale Nissan Official Blog
Do You Know the History of the Nissan Name?
By Product Expert | Posted in FAQs, For Fun on Wednesday, May 24th, 2017 at 8:00 pm
Nissan is an iconic name in the automotive industry—and the story of how the name came to be goes right back to the 1930s. The Japanese brand has been selling cars in the USA since 1958, but the first Nissan Glendale Heights would have seen came under a different name: Datsun.
Datsun was founded in 1914. The “DAT” was formed by the initials of the last name of its three founders: Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, and Meitaro Takeuchi. The first vehicles were to be named Datson, as in “son of DAT. However, the word “son” can also mean “loss” in Japanese, so the company changed the “o” t a “U” and named their vehicles Datsuns.
In 1933, DAT Jidosha Seizo, the company that built Datsuns, was merged with Tobata Casting. At that time, Tobata Casting was owned by corporate giant Nihon Sangyo. Nihon Sangyo was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by the first letters of each word in its name: ni and san. On the trading floor, it was commonly referred to by the nickname, Ni-San, so when the parent company wanted to create a brand name, Nissan stuck.
Cars made by Nissan were sold as Datsuns in most markets until the mid-1980s, and by 1985, Datsun was phased out and became Nissan. After all that, Nissan is a name that transcends generations, just like the company’s vehicles. It was born from a nickname and lovingly transitioned through corporate mergers, acquisitions, and dramatic shifts in the automotive market.
Today, Nissan stands for quality cars that offer a mix of fun features, high build quality, and affordability for American families.
What Does Nissan Mean To You?
For some, Nissan means a rugged off-road adventure vehicle, for others, it evokes the raw power of the Nissan Pathfinder.
Nissan means family for many drivers of the Nissan Rouge, while drivers of the versatile Nissan Sentra love it for its compact size, style, and impressive value.
No matter what you’re after, there’s a Nissan to suit you. At our nearby Nissan dealer in Glendale Heights, Nissan means great value and reliable vehicles. We’ve served the Glendale Heights area for over four years and offer a vast selection of new and pre-owned Nissans.
From the fuel-efficient sedan Nissan Sentra to the powerful Titan pick-up and even the eco-friendly Leaf EV—Nissan means whatever you want it to at Glendale.
Stop into our Nissan dealer near Elgin to learn more about the great range of Nissan cars, trucks, and SUVs.
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