Nissan got its start in 1933 as the Jidosha Seico Co., Ltd. A year later, a merger with another Japanese manufacturer created a new entity dubbed, The Nissan Motor Company, Ltd.
Nissan began manufacturing cars under the Datsun brand in 1934. After World War II, Nissan forged offshore relationships outside of Japan and began a partnership with British based Austin Motor Co. as well as establishing a presence in the United States. Vehicles hit US shores by the 1950′s with cars like the Datsun 1000 which were based on Austin platforms. The 1960′s and 70′s saw the Datsun brand rise to prominence as Nissan focused its efforts on crafting more luxurious cars for the American market. Cars such as the Datsun 510 sedan and performance machines such as the original 240Z helped Nissan push their export units past the 10 million mark by the end of the 1970′s. In the early 80′s, Nissan shelved the Datsun brand and began selling cars worldwide under the Nissan name. Over the last 2 decades, Nissan has moved much of its production to American shores with a state of the art facility in Tennessee. Redesigned models like the Sentra and Altima have been well-received, as were new models like the Titan and Armada. In 1999, an alliance with Renault, a European automaker, also helped to shore up the company’s finances. Today the manufacturer is known for offering a wide range of vehicles capable of going head to head with the best of the best when it comes to overall quality, dependability and performance.
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2011 Nissan Juke SV FWD M/T – Visiting the Big Apple Thursday, 10 May 2012, 10:05 pm
Will absence make our hearts grow fonder?
Will absence make our hearts grow fonder of the Four Seasons Nissan Juke? The Ann Arbor-based Automobile Magazine staff members will find out, because the quirky hatchback just left for a stay on the East Coast with senior editor Joe Lorio, who had a lot to say about the car even before he left Michigan:
Photo Gallery: 2011 Nissan Juke SV FWD M/T – Four Seasons Update – May 2012 – Automobile Magazine
Photo Gallery: 2011 Nissan Juke SV FWD M/T – Four Seasons Update – May 2012 – Automobile Magazine
2012 Nissan Pathfinder LE 4×4 Thursday, 26 April 2012, 10:04 pm
This is our last goodbye to the Pathfinder, at least in the form we’ve known it for decades.
This is our last goodbye to the Pathfinder, at least in the form we’ve known it for decades. Since 1986, the Pathfinder has always shared its body-on-frame architecture with Nissan’s compact pickups. That’s still the case today, but the automaker has already announced the next Pathfinder will instead be based off the unibody Murano crossover.
Photo Gallery: 2012 Nissan Pathfinder LE 4×4 – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine
Photo Gallery: 2012 Nissan Pathfinder LE 4×4 – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine
2011 Nissan Juke SV FWD M/T – Back to Summer Rubber Thursday, 12 April 2012, 6:04 pm
April in Michigan means winter is essentially over.
April in Michigan means opening day for the Detroit Tigers, and the arrival of baseball season means winter is essentially over. No more winter means that the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 winter tires are now off of our Four Seasons Nissan Juke. Our Juke came from the factory wearing Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires, but last October we replaced them with Kumho Ecsta 4X performance rubber, which we found to be grippier and less prone to tire squeal than the stock Goodyears. The Michelin winter tires performed well (albeit in a remarkably mild winter), but we’re definitely glad to have the Kumhos back on the Juke — their excellent grip really helps emphasize the small, turbocharged car’s fun-to-drive spirit.
Photo Gallery: 2011 Nissan Juke SV FWD M/T – Four Seasons Update – April 2012 – Automobile Magazine
Photo Gallery: 2011 Nissan Juke SV FWD M/T – Four Seasons Update – April 2012 – Automobile Magazine
Driven: 2012 Nissan Maxima Friday, 6 April 2012, 4:04 pm
Remember the four-door sports car?
The Maxima is a storied nameplate, at least at Nissan. It’s actually older than the Nissan name in the United States, as it dates back to the Datsun days. For a long time, the Maxima enjoyed a reputation as a fast, comfortable, sporting machine, back when most Japanese sedans were depressing econo-boxes. Years ago, it was advertised as “the four-door sports car.” Recently, Nissan has resurrected that claim. But is that still the case?
Photo Gallery: Driven: 2012 Nissan Maxima – Automobile Magazine
Photo Gallery: Driven: 2012 Nissan Maxima – Automobile Magazine
First Look: 2013 Nissan Altima Tuesday, 3 April 2012, 4:04 pm
Evolutionary changes for the nation’s second best-selling car.
The 2013 Nissan Altima is not dramatically different from the current car. It looks a lot like the old car, and even uses essentially the same inline-four and V-6 engines as the 2012 Altima. Even so, it’s clear that Nissan has paid attention to evolving nearly every element of the Altima. The sedan is important not only because it is Nissan’s top-selling car, but also because the Altima is the second best-selling car in the country.
Photo Gallery: First Look: 2013 Nissan Altima – 2012 New York Auto Show – Automobile Magazine
Photo Gallery: First Look: 2013 Nissan Altima – 2012 New York Auto Show – Automobile Magazine
2012 Nissan Armada Platinum Thursday, 22 March 2012, 3:03 pm
Like many other truck-based SUVs, the Armada was created in another time, when bigger was better.
Like many other truck-based SUVs, the Armada was created in another time, when bigger was better, sacrifices were made to have three rows to not be in a minivan, and 20 MPG was wonderful but unnecessary. Sadly for the Armada, times have changed and it has not. Based on and developed alongside the Titan pickup, the Armada was Nissan’s attempt to cash in on the full-size SUV market that the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Ford Expedition had long dominated. When the Armada hit the scene in 2004, the fact that it handled like and got the fuel economy of a truck mattered little to customers. Now, it’s hard to justify the $55,000 price tag of our tester when its competition has advanced so much further. However, Nissan did get one thing right — the front seats are very comfortable and surprisingly well-bolstered giving the non-sporting demeanor of this truck.
Photo Gallery: 2012 Nissan Armada Platinum – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine
Photo Gallery: 2012 Nissan Armada Platinum – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine
12-Cylinder Subcompacts Wednesday, 14 March 2012, 4:03 pm
We drive four small cars with three-cylinder engines.
It’s a brave new world, kids, and in that new world, the number of cylinders an engine has is almost irrelevant to its horsepower output. For that, you can thank the proliferation of turbochargers. These days, the two biggest variables in power output are engine displacement and boost pressure, period.
Photo Gallery: 12-Cylinder Subcompacts – Ford Focus EcoBoost, Smart ForTwo, Nissan Micra, Seat Ibiza – Automobile Magazine
Photo Gallery: 12-Cylinder Subcompacts – Ford Focus EcoBoost, Smart ForTwo, Nissan Micra, Seat Ibiza – Automobile Magazine
2009 Nissan Model Lineup
- 2009 Nissan Z
- 2009 Nissan Xterra
- 2009 Nissan Titan
- 2009 Nissan Rogue
- 2009 Nissan Quest
- 2009 Nissan Pathfinder
- 2009 Nissan Murano
- 2009 Nissan Frontier
- 2009 Nissan Armada
- 2009 Nissan Versa
- 2009 Nissan Sentra SE-R
- 2009 Nissan Sentra
- 2009 Nissan Maxima
- 2009 Nissan Altima Coupe
- 2009 Nissan Altima
