Where is Nissan From and Where are Nissans Made

Have you ever wondered where Nissan originated, how it came to be, or where it makes its cars?

You’re not alone! In this post, we’ll provide a brief backgrounder on the origins and history of Nissan, where it was incorporated and where it builds its cars today.

SEE ALSO: 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus Review

Like many automakers, Nissan is an international corporation, so it builds cars in many different places for many different markets. For simplicity, this post will focus on the Nissan plants that serve the North American market.

Where is Nissan From?

Nissan has been renamed a few different times, but the company’s roots can be traced back to Kaishinsha Motor Car Works, which was founded in Tokyo in July of 1911 by Masujiro Hashimoto. In 1928, a holding company called Nihon Sangyo was formed, which owned a casting company that eventually partnered with Kaishinsha Motor Car Works, making the automaker a Nihon Sangyo-owned company. The name ‘Nissan’ is a shortened version of Nihon Sangyo.

Nissan vehicles were initially sold under the ‘Datsun’ banner, which was derived from an acronym of the Kaishinsha Motor Car Works investors’ surnames, which together spelt ‘DAT’. ‘Datsun’ was originally spelt ‘Datson’, a reference to the cars being the ‘Son of DAT’, but was later restyled to Datsun after Nissan Group took control of the company in the 1930s.

Nissan’s headquarters are located in Yokohama, Japan today.

Where Are Nissans Made?

Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant – Smyrna, TN, USA

• Nissan Leaf
• Nissan Maxima
• Nissan Rogue
• Nissan Pathfinder
• Nissan Frontier

Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant – Canton, MS, USA

• Nissan Altima
• Nissan Murano
• Nissan Frontier
• Nissan Titan
• Nissan NV

Nissan Aguascalientes – Aguascalientes, Mexico

• Nissan Sentra
• Nissan Versa
• Nissan Versa Note
• Nissan Micra (March)
• Nissan NV

Nissan Tochigi Plant – Kaminokawa, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

• Nissan 370Z
• Nissan GT-R

Nissan Shatai Kyushu Plant – Yukuhashi, Fukoka Prefecture, Japan

• Nissan Armada

Nissan Cuernavaca Assembly – Jiutepec, Mexico

• Nissan NV200