Beginning. The Nissan Motors company was established in 1934. In the beginning, the contemporary car manufacturer produced trucks and aeroplanes. The first cars under the Datsun brand left the assembly line in 1935. Nissan exported them to Australia and it was very successful on that continent. Nissan cars also took part in car rallies.
Development. In 1936, Nissan started cooperation with the American Graham-Paige Motors company. The Japanese learned how to develop new technologies and design new cars. During World War II, Nissan suffered considerable losses. It lost its factories, and those which had not been bombed were occupied by the Americans. In 1953, an agreement with the British company Austin was signed. Soon, the Japanese factory began to manufacture licensed cars. A breakthrough occurred 10 years later. Nissan cars began to be propagated to Europe. The Japanese allied with the declining Alfa Romeo, but this arrangement did not last very long. At the beginning of the 1990s, Nissan made its technology available to the Korean company Samsung, but, despite the creation of a few ambitious projects, the cooperation did not stand the test of time. In 1989, Nissan created a new brand of luxury cars called Infiniti, which was intended for the American market. The end of 1990s was a very important period for Nissan. It was then that the company signed an agreement with Renault. The French bought one-third of the company's shares. A rescue plan called "Nissan 180" was developed to change the company's situation.
Present.The Nissan 180 plan was implemented before the deadline. The plan assumed the sale of one million cars per year and an 8% operating margin. Nissan and Renault cars use the same parts. For example, the new Nissan Micra and Renault Clio III have the same floorpans, engines and gearboxes.
Trivia. Nissan intends to sell electric cars from 2011. Cars with such a drive — Nissan Leaf — can reach a speed of 140 km/h and drive 160 km on a single charge. It is worth mentioning that this model was awarded the Car of the Year title in 2010.
The most popular Nissan models include: Nissan 350Z, Nissan Almera, Nissan Primera, Nissan Sunny, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Micra, Nissan Patrol/Safari, Nissan Qashqai, Nissan Skyline, Nissan Terrano.
Tyres. There are numerous Nissan models including small and compact passenger cars as well as off-road and sports cars. Such a great diversity means the use of a wide range of tyre sizes. Tyres start from sizes such as 145/80 R12, 165/70 R14, 185/65 R15 and 195/65 R15 to 16- and 17-inch sizes such as 205/55 R16, 205/60 R16 and 225/45 R17. Nissan cooperates with numerous tyre manufacturers. This marque’s original equipment includes Dunlop, Michelin, Continental and Bridgestone tyres. Examples: Nissan Maxima (Dunlop SP Sport 5000), Pathfinder (Grandtrek TG35), Nissan Tiida and Livina (Firestone FH705), Nissan 200Z (Bridgestone EG3), 350Z (RE040KZ), Micra (B391), Qashqai (Dueler HP Sport), Nissan Primera (Michelin Energy).