Who Makes Nissan Cars?

by George Kennedy

Nissan is a Japanese automaker that offers a full line of cars, trucks, and SUVs. Nissan is part-owned by Renault in the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi strategic partnership. The majority of its vehicles are built in America with some specialized vehicles built in Japan.

In this Article:

Who Makes Nissan Cars?

Nissan was founded in 1933 and produced its first cars under the Datsun name. In 1958, Datsuns were first imported to America and gained traction in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, the name shifted to Nissan, and the lineup was expanded in the 1980s and 90s. Following financial troubles in the 1990s, Renault purchased a 36% stake in Nissan, which later in turn purchased a 15% stake in Renault to form the alliance.

What Sort of Vehicles Does Nissan Make?

Nissan has a full lineup of cars, trucks, and SUVs. It produces the compact Sentra, midsize Altima, and full-size Maxima sedans. It also produces the subcompact Versa, compact Rogue, midsize two-row Murano, midsize three-row Pathfinder, and full-size Armada SUVs. Its trucks include the midsize Frontier and full-size Titan. Nissan also offers two electric vehicles; the compact Leaf and midsize Aryia. Nissan produces most of its American-sold vehicles in Tennessee and Mississippi. Japanese production and import to the U.S. is reserved for the GT-R and Z sports cars.

Detailed Nissan Buying Guides

What Are The Best Nissan Cars?

by George Kennedy

From open-wheel racecars to specialty off-road vehicles, George Kennedy has driven it all. A career automotive journalist, George has been a contributor, editor, and/or producer at some of the most respected publications and outlets, including Consumer Reports, the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Autoblog.com, Hemmings Classic Wheels, BoldRide.com, the Providence Journal, and WheelsTV.

Popular Used Cars

The content above is for informational purposes only and should be independently verified. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.