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Nissan Motors

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd is a multinational automobile manufacturing company that is based in Japan. At present, it is among the top three automakers of Asian origin.

Birth and Launch of Nissan

In the early 1900s, visionaries like Yoshisuke Aikawa laid the foundation for the enormous automobile industry of Japan seen today. Yoshisuke Aikawa established the Tobata Casting Co., Limited in 1910.Around the same time, Masujiro Hashimoto established the Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works, an automobile production factory in Japan which released its “DAT” car in 1914, which was re-modeled in 1918 and marketed as 41 DAT, the first single-body casting four-cylindered engine in Japan.

In 1919, a three-wheeled vehicle was launched in the USA that grabbed the attention of an Osakan businessman who owned the Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Limited, a modern automobile factory at that time. The auto parts, mechanical equipment and materials for the vehicles were imported from the US.In 1925, Kwaishinsha established DAT Jidosha & Co., Ltd, as a mutual benefit program, intending to strengthen the automobile sales. In 1926 another merger led to the establishment of DAT Jidosha Seizo Co., Limited, which then became a subsidiary of the Tobata Casting Co., Ltd in 1931.

In March 1933 Tobata Casting Co., Ltd. established its automobile division. The same year on December 26th, Yoshisuke Aikawa's two companies, the Nihon Sangyo and the Tobata Casting, invested in establishing the Jidosha Seizo Co., Ltd. And finally in June 1934, when Nihon Sangyo Co. Ltd became the 100% investor, this company’s corporate name was changed to Nissan Motors Co. Ltd.

In the 1940s as World War II progressed, the automobile production was completely stopped and only in 1959 the company commenced its operations overseas at Yulon Motor Co, Limited in Taiwan. During the meantime the company had acquired an interest in Minsei Diesel Motor Co., Ltd. which is now known as Nissan Diesel Motor Co., Ltd. Nissan was also producing forklifts by this time.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. was established in the United States in 1960 and in 1966 the company spread its business to Australia, the same year it had merged with Prince Motors of Japan. In 1970 Nissan was manufacturing rocket engines and launching vehicles and the company’s first satellite OHSUMI was launched. The same year, Nissan also reached the marine engine field and later in 1974, Nissan established the Science Foundation.

In July 1981, worldwide marketing of its vehicles under the brand name “Nissan” had begun. The same year it signed an agreement with Volkswagen for production and sale of passenger cars in Japan. In 1984 Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. was established.By 1990s Nissan’s business has spread worldwide including South America, Africa, Middle East and China. In 1999, Nissan signed an alliance with Renault, the French automaker.

Nissan comes to India

The year 2005 saw the launch of Nissan Motor India Private Limited in India when it imported the fully built SUV Nissan X-Trail. After its successful sale in the country, in 2007 the company launched its four-door luxury saloon car Teana in India.  After we have seen the exclusive sports car, Nissan 370Z, and the more accessible, locally produced car, Nissan Micra.Nissan’s factory plant near Chennai locally manufactures various Nissan models including Nissan Micra for Indian, as well as European Market.

Founders of Nissan

Separate automotive companies founded by different people were brought together to form Nissan Motors Co., Ltd in 1934.

Yoshisuke Aikawa, born in Yamaguchi, a graduate of Tokyo Imperial University (called Tokyo University today), developed his casting skills while working in a casting factory in USA. After his return to Japan, he founded the Tobata Casting Co., Ltd.

Kwaishinsha Motors, another predecessor company of Nissan Motors was founded in 1911 by Masujiro Hashimoto, a US trained mechanical engineer, with the help of three investors - Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi.

Motive

In the early 1900s when the Japanese roads had only seen foreign cars, visionaries like Yoshisuke Aikawa and Masujiro Hashimoto were zealously manufacturing vehicles that laid the foundation for Japan’s automobile industry of today. After the World War II, Yoshisuke Aikawa took the opportunity for reconstruction of Japan’s economy by re-building his automobile empire.

Nissan - Fun facts and Trivia

-The “DAT” car, introduced by Kwaishinsha Motors, derived its name from the initials of its three investors - Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi.

-In 1944 Nissan’s headquarters was moved from Yokohama to Nihonbashi, Tokyo and only in 2009, after half a century, it has been relocated back to Yokohama.

-The company also changed its name to Nissan Heavy Industries, Ltd in 1941. It was christened back to its original name Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in 1949. 

-Besides manufacturing luxury cars, Nissan also makes communication satellites, pleasure boats, forklifts, heavy machinery etc.

Nissan dealers – India

Nissan Motor India Private Limited has its headquarters in Mumbai and its manufacturing plant is located near Chennai, Southern India. Nissan has 10 dealerships at present throughout India. This number is said to be increased to 55 by 2012. The current dealers of Nissan in India are:

-Bhagat Nissan in Mohali, Punjab

-EVM Nissan in Cochin, Kerala

-Ichibaan Nissan in Mumbai, Maharashtra

-Oxford Nissan in Pune, Maharashtra

-Lakshmi Nissan in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

-Nath Nissan in New Delhi

-Petal Nissan in Ahmadabad, Gujarat

-Ramani Nissan in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

-Sherif Nissan in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

-Shahwar Motives Private Limited in Bangalore, Karnataka

Nissan partnered with HAI - Hover Automotive India aiming to attain leadership in the Indian car market. HAI is in charge of marketing, sales and after-sales services, setting up dealerships across India and a host of various other activities for Nissan.

Nissan Used car market

Nissan is known to provide quality automobiles with stunning exteriors and luxurious interiors. It has attained several milestones in gaining popularity in the world and today, Nissan’s position has been established among the best automobile manufacturers in the luxury car segment. Hence Nissan vehicles are popularly in demand, and retain a good resale value.

Moreover, since Nissan offers affordable good-quality products incorporated with advanced technology, there is always a market for the sales of new and pre-owned Nissan vehicles, particularly in the Middle-Eastern and Asian market.

In India, the number of Nissan cars is yet modest, but  as the company increases its footprint, this is set to rise rapidly.

Nissan Future Plans

Nissan’s vision for the future is clear as the company, alongside their Alliance partner Renault, embarks on a mission to build trust with their customers, employees, dealers, partners and shareholders and the world at large.

With growing demand for a clean environment, Nissan is accelerating towards the development of products that offer greater fuel efficiency and lower carbon-dioxide emissions. Also, with the ever-increasing oil prices and the quest for alternative energy, Nissan plans to launch its first luxury electric vehicle called “Leaf”, an affordable, eco-friendly, family-sized car in 2012. This is aimed at tackling the environmental problems caused by petrol and diesel cars’ exhausts.

Nissan aims to acquire a significant market share of the Indian automobile market by 2012 by opening up 45 more dealerships throughout India. Currently, this number is below 20 dealers. Also by 2012, Nissan intends to launch six new car models for sale in India, five of which will be wholly manufactured in the country, while one high-end car might be imported from Japan.

Nissan’s plant in southern India has a production capacity of 200,000 cars per year and by 2011, Nissan plans to export over 110,000 cars from India, which would later be increased to 180,000 in the future. The output from its plant is expected to hit over 100 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, making India one of the major production hubs for Nissan.

Nissan Car Models

Currently, there are four models of Nissan cars marketed in India – Nissan X-Trail, Nissan Teana, Nissan 370Z and Nissan Micra.

Nissan X-Trail

Nissan X-Trail is a compact SUV that can comfortably seat five adults. It was the first Nissan car to be introduced into the Indian automobile market in 2005.The car is engineered with an impressive exterior containing smooth flowing lines running along the front to rear and soft-material interiors with generous head and leg room. The xenon headlights next to the sleek chrome grille in the front and gleaming tail lights at the rear adorn the car.

For the Indian market, there are three variants available for this car - Nissan X-Trail Comfort, Nissan X-Trail Elegance and Nissan X-Trail X-pecial. Based on the variant chosen and the options selected, the Delhi Ex-showroom prices are around Rs 20 lacs (for LE), Rs 23 lacs (for SLX MT) and Rs 26 lacs(for SLX AT). There are various color options to choose including Burning Red, Metallic Silver, Black and White 3 Coat Pearl.

The car also comes with attractive features such as quad speaker CD player, superb air conditioning system, anti-lock braking system, airbags and other safety features. It is fitted with a 2.2L turbo diesel engine giving a peak torque of 320 Nm, 6-speed manual transmission delivering a mileage of 12-16 kmpl.

Nissan Teana

Nissan Teana was introduced into the Indian market in 2007. This mid-sized saloon car flaunts its ravishing exteriors and modern luxury interiors, giving a stunning performance which made it an immediate hit in India.The sweeping lines running across the body of the car, along with the bi-xenon headlamps on the front and clustered tail lights at the rear make it look simply astounding. It also comes in vibrant colors, such as champagne gold, brilliant silver, Luna blue, twilight grey, black and pearl white.

There are two variants of this car – Teana XL and Teana XV, both powered with a 2.5L V6 petrol engine. Coupled with 4 speed automatic transmission (XTRONIC CVT), the car gives a 182 bhp @ 6000 rpm and a peak torque of 228 Nm @ 4400 rpm.The car is provided with latest features such as ottoman style leg-rest for the front seats, comfortable leather upholstery, intelligent key system, surround sound audio system, multi-link fuel injection system and advanced  safety features such as Vehicle Dynamic Control, Traction Control System, Antilock Braking System, Electronic Braking Distribution, collapsible steering wheel, SRS air bags etc.

The base model of Nissan Teana is priced at Rs 21 lacs while full the option variant comes at Rs 25 lacs.

Nissan Micra

Nissan’s small car plans are well on track with the launch of Indian-made car Micra. The petrol version of Nissan Micra was launched in June 2010 in the Indian market, following which the production for its worldwide export also commenced and the company has introduced Nissan Micra diesel version in 2010 December. Presently the Micra car is available both in petrol and diesel engines. The petrol Micra comes with three cylinders engine and five speed manual transmissions and the diesel variant comes with 1.5 L four-cylinder engine with manual transmission. The available Nissan Micra variants are – Nissan Micra XE Petrol, Nissan Micra XE plus Petrol, Nissan Micra XL Petrol, Nissan Micra XV Petrol, Nissan Micra XV Diesel, and Nissan Micra XV Premium Diesel. Nissan Micra variants prices range between 4 lacs and 6.5 lacs.

Nissan 370Z

The Nissan 370Z, launched in 2010 in India, is branded as the car of Speed as befits the legacy of the Nissan 350Z. This sports ace was originally launched in 2008 in the US Market following which it was introduced in overseas market.The Nissan 370Z is a two seater, two door sports coupe. This compact sports car has become very popular in a short period of time because of its powerful engine, latest technology, trendy and sporty look and so on.

The Nissan 370Z comes in two variants. They are - Nissan 370Z Touring Coupe MT and Nissan 370Z Touring Coupe AT. Both the Nissan 370Z variants are equipped with 3696 cc petrol engine, a large engine surely for a light weight car. The main difference between these Nissan 370Z variants is the transmission, as the former one has manual transmission and the latter one has automatic transmission. The on-road price of the Nissan 370Z starts at about 55 Lacs.