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Car Review | Nissan | Nissan or Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. shortened to Nissan is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan that manufactures automobiles, trucks, buses, and products such as communications satellites, pleasure boats, and machinery. The name "Nissan" came into use during the 1930s as an abbreviation used on the Tokyo stock market for Nippon Sangyo, a holding company founded by Yoshisuke Aikawa (1880-1967). In 1931, Aikawa acquired a majority of shares in the automaker DAT Motors. Aikawa merged Tobata Casting's automobile parts department with DAT Motors and incorporated it as a new subsidiary, which he named Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

In the 1950s, the management of Nissan made a conscious decision to expand into worldwide markets, realizing that its Datsun small car line would fill an unmet need in markets such as Australia and the United States. By 1970, Nissan had become one of the world's largest exporters of automobiles, continually improving on its technology and adding sporty cars to its line. By entering into partnerships with Austin and Ford, and creating subsidiaries and manufacturing plants in other countries, Nissan established itself as a major international automaker. In 1999, facing severe financial difficulties, Nissan entered an alliance with Renault S.A. of France. Renault appointed its own Chief Operating Officer, Carlos Ghosn, as Chief Operating Officer of Nissan. Under Ghosn's "Nissan Revival Plan" (NRP), the company has rebounded in what many economists consider to be one of the most dramatic corporate turnarounds in history.

In 1928,Yoshisuke Aikawa (or Gisuke Ayukawa) (1880-1967), a Japanese entrepreneur, businessman, and politician, founded the holding company Nippon Sangyo (Japan Industries or Nippon Industries). The name "Nissan" came into use during the 1930s, as an abbreviation used on the Tokyo stock market for Nippon Sangyo. Nippon Sangyo was the famous Nissan zaibatsu (conglomerate) which included Tobata Casting and Hitachi. Nissan eventually grew to include 74 firms, and became the fourth-largest business conglomerate in Japan during World War II.

The Nissan controlled foundries and auto parts businesses, but Aikawa did not enter automobile manufacturing until 1933. In 1931, Aikawa purchased a majority of shares in DAT Motors, and in 1933, Nissan merged Tobata Casting's automobile parts department with DAT Motors.

In 1934, Aikawa incorporated the expanded automobile parts division of Tobata Casting as a new subsidiary, which he named Nissan Motor (Nissan) Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. The shareholders of Tobata Casting were not enthusiastic about the prospects of the automobile in Japan, so Aikawa used capital from Nippon Industries to buy them out in June 1934. From that time on, Nissan Motors was effectively owned by Nippon Sangyo and Hitachi.

Beginning in 1938, the company converted entirely to production of trucks and military vehicles. Nissan built trucks, airplanes, and engines for the Japanese military during World War II. After Japan established itself in China, the company's main plant was moved there, and continued to produce machinery for the Japanese war effort until it was captured by American and Russian forces. In 1945, Allied occupation forces seized the main Nissan plants. They allowed production of Nissan and Datsun vehicles to resume at one plant, but other facilities were not restored to Nissan until 1955. For two years, from 1947 to 1948, the company was briefly called Nissan Heavy Industries Corporation. - CAR REVIEW