A History of Nissan Truck Parts and Makes
Nissan, an enduring and performing brand in vehicle, truck, and trailer parts worldwide, has an exciting history. The background of the now-known Nissan Motor Company spans activities over 100 years since its inception in 1911. It is among the first automobile makers in Japan. Many assume the name Nissan combines the founders’ names is an acronym or even a family name.
The Meaning of the Name Nissan
Nissan’s foundation is Datsun, and it all started with one model made in 1914. The model’s creators were Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, and Meitaro Takeuchi. The first letters of their surnames, Den, Aoyama, and Takeuchi, make the acronym DAT.
In 1931, they created the Datsun Type 11 and called it Datson, the son of DAT. However, in Japanese, a son also means loss. For that reason, the company changed its name to Datsun because of the negative connotation portrayed by Datson.
Around the same time, Nihon Sangyo, founded in 1928, got the nickname Ni-San. The name Ni-San was coined from the first two letters in Nihon Sangyo. This name appeared publicly when the stakeholders floated the company at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Therefore, Nissan is neither a Japanese name nor an acronym formed from Japanese words as often thought.
Nissan and Datsun: The Link
Nihon Sangyo or Ni-San and DATsun existed independently. Ni-San had no dealings in the automobile or truck spare business until 1933. By this time, DATsun had rebranded and changed its name to DAT Jidosha Seizo, also known as DAR Jidosha and Company Limited or DAT Motorcar Company.
In 1933, DAT Jidosha and Company Limited merged with Tobata Casting, a company owned by Ni-San. The company became a subsidiary in manufacturing vehicle spare parts, especially aftermarket truck parts, in 1934. It was now called Nissan Motor Company until 1960 when they formed the Nissan Motor Corporation USA.
Notable Achievements of Nissan in the Trucking Industry
Nissan made history by being the first vehicle maker started in Japan. It had made its first automobile, the DAT, by 1914. Nissan initially produced trucks to meet their high demand, noting minimal demand for passenger automobiles in the first half of the 20th century.
The Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 needed special cleaning-up efforts, increasing truck demand. The military, too, required trucks, and due to those factors, by 1918, Nissan found itself embracing mass production of DAT trucks.
At the same time, the Jitsuyo Jidosha subsidiary began using aftermarket parts for trucks and materials imported from the US to make its small truck fleet. The manufacture of commercial trucks in Japan halted for some time when Nissan concentrated on supporting the military with its resources after Japan entered World War 1.
After Jitusuyo Jidosha and DAT Motors merged to create DAT Jidosha Seizo Company, the company continued producing cars and small trucks. When Nissan acquired Tobata Casting and Hitachi, it became the major player in the foundries and aftermarket parts for trucks.
In 1934 after the acquisition of the DAT company, Nissan became the biggest manufacturer and initiated the process of separating the auto-creation part from other aspects of business in the company, such as creating Nissan truck parts.
As a result, they created the A. Yokohama plant in 1935, which produced its first car using the groundbreaking integrated assembly system in the same year. That year they managed to manufacture and export 44 Datsuns to various parts of the world. Since then, Nissan has continued to thrive with new technologies in the automotive and aftermarket parts for the trucks industry.
