Nissan Motor Company, Limited, being popularly known as Nissan is a Japan-based multinational car manufacturer. It is one of the largest automakers in the world that produces an array of vehicles, which includes sporty coups, family sedans, trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles. Nissan is the third largest Japanese car manufacturer.

The automaker started off in the year 1933 as the Jidosha Seizo Company, Limited, however, in 1934, when Nippon Sangyo, a holding company merged the former, the company was christened Nissan Motor Company, Limited. Initially, it marketed the vehicles under the Datsun brand. After the World War II, the brand entered into a partnership with the UK-based Austin Motor Company, and then slowly made its presence felt in the United States, and further worldwide! It was in the year 1958, Datsuns entered the American market for the first time.

Nissan ventured into manufacturing of luxury-focused vehicles in the 1960s, with the company's merger with Prince Motor Company. In '60s, Datsun had exported above 1 million vehicles. The popularity of the brand continued through the 1970s, with its 240Z sports car. The car was a big hit, reason being its incredible blend of performance, style and affordability. By the end of the decade, the automaker exported more than 10 million vehicles.

Nissan dropped the Datsun name in 1981. It began marketing its vehicles under the Nissan moniker. In an effort to produce performance-oriented vehicles and other automotive accessories, Nissan launched its tuning division, 'Nismo' in the 1980s. The decade also witnessed the automaker's foray of bringing its production to America, with the construction of a Tennessee-based plant. In the early 1990s, the automaker produced some very popular cars in the U.S., such as 300ZX, Maxima and Sentra.

Owing to severe financial difficulties, Nissan signed an alliance with the French automaker, Renault S.A. in 1999. As of 2008, the latter owned 44.4 percent of Nissan shares. Nissan Primera of 2001 was the first car produced by Nissan, after the Nissan-Renault alliance being signed.