Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TYO: 7201 / OTC: NSANY) is a Japanese automaker headquartered in Yokohama. Led by CEO Ivan Espinosa since April 2025, it reported FY2025 (ended March 31, 2026) revenue of ~$80.4 billion (¥12.0 trillion), operating profit of ~$389 million (¥58.0 billion) and a net loss of ~$3.57 billion (¥533.1 billion) on 3.15 million vehicle sales, and is restructuring under the Re:Nissan plan.
The Founding of Nissan: 1911 Origins to Yokohama Industrialization
Nissan's historical roots date back to the founding of Kaishinsha Motor Car Works in Tokyo in 1911 by Masujiro Hashimoto. In 1914, Kaishinsha built Japan's very first indigenous passenger motorcar, the DAT, an acronym honoring investors Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, and Meitaro Takeuchi. In 1931, the company developed a smaller passenger vehicle dubbed 'Datson' ('Son of DAT'), later changed to 'Datsun' to honor the rising sun and eliminate the negative Japanese connotation of loss.
The modern corporation was formally established on December 26, 1933, when industrialist Yoshisuke Aikawa (Gisuke Ayukawa) organized Jidosha Seizo Co., Ltd. in Yokohama, backed by his Nihon Sangyo holding conglomerate. In 1934, the company officially adopted the name Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and constructed Japan's first integrated conveyor-belt assembly plant in Yokohama. Studying Detroit mass-production methods and acquiring tooling from America's Graham-Paige, Aikawa democratized passenger car ownership across pre-war Japan.
Post-War Expansion, Prince Merger & Sports Car Legends
Following post-World War II reconstruction, Nissan President Katsuji Kawamata recognized that long-term survival required expanding beyond the domestic Japanese archipelago. In 1958, Nissan entered the Mobilgas Round Australia Trial with two Datsun 1000 sedans, capturing class honors in the severe 10,000-mile endurance rally and establishing international respect for Japanese engineering durability.
In 1966, Nissan completed a transformative merger with Prince Motor Company. Prince contributed top aerospace and motorsports engineering talent, bringing royal coachbuilding prestige and well-known model lines into Nissan, most notably the Skyline and Gloria. Three years later, in 1969, Nissan achieved two historic milestones simultaneously: the introduction of the dual-overhead-cam Skyline 2000GT-R in Japan and the launch of the Datsun 240Z in North America. Offering European sports car styling, an independent rear suspension, and a smooth 2.4-liter inline-six engine at a fraction of the cost of a Porsche or Jaguar, the 240Z shattered Western sports car dominance and made Nissan an international household name.
The 1999 Debt Crisis & The Carlos Ghosn Turnaround
By the late 1990s, despite engineering acclaim, Nissan suffered from severe structural mismanagement. Bloated by overlapping vehicle platforms, hundreds of unprofitable keiretsu supplier cross-shareholdings, and an aggressive debt-fueled domestic bubble expansion, Nissan accumulated over $20 billion in corporate debt and faced imminent bankruptcy.
In March 1999, France's Renault S.A. invested $5.4 billion for a 36.8% equity stake in Nissan, forging the historic Renault-Nissan Alliance. Carlos Ghosn was appointed Chief Operating Officer and launched the uncompromising 'Nissan Revival Plan' (NRP). Ghosn dismantled closed keiretsu monopolies, closed five domestic assembly plants, reduced the global supplier roster by 50%, and returned Nissan to operational profitability within two fiscal years, well ahead of Wall Street projections. Under Ghosn, Nissan revitalized its sports car heritage with the 350Z and R35 GT-R while laying the groundwork for mass electrification.
The EV Revolution: Launching the Nissan Leaf
In December 2010, Nissan made automotive history by commercializing the Nissan Leaf, the world's first mass-market, highway-capable 100% electric passenger vehicle. While competitors like Toyota focused cautiously on gasoline hybrids, Nissan invested over $5 billion to construct dedicated EV battery gigafactories in Oppama, Japan and Smyrna, Tennessee. Over the ensuing decade, the Nissan Leaf sold more than 650,000 units worldwide, gathering over 16 billion zero-emission kilometers of real-world battery telemetry that today informs Nissan's advanced battery management software.
Modern Architecture: e-POWER & Solid-State Batteries
Rather than relying solely on pure battery electric vehicles, Nissan pioneered the proprietary e-POWER series-hybrid powertrain. Unlike traditional parallel hybrids where both gas and electric motors physically turn the wheels, in an e-POWER vehicle, the wheels are 100% driven by electric motors. A small, high-efficiency gasoline combustion engine acts purely as an on-board electricity generator to charge the battery pack. This provides drivers with the instant torque, whisper-quiet cabin, and smooth acceleration of a luxury electric vehicle without requiring public charging plugs.
For the next decade, Nissan's technological centerpiece is the commercialization of All-Solid-State Batteries (ASSB). Constructing a pilot production plant in Yokohama, Nissan targets pilot cell output by 2025 and first production vehicles by 2028. Solid-state chemistry promises to double energy density, reduce charging times by two-thirds, and slash battery pack costs to approximately $75 per kWh, achieving cost parity with gasoline internal combustion engines.
From The Arc to Re:Nissan (2024-2026)
In March 2024, then-CEO Makoto Uchida launched 'The Arc' plan and signed a strategic partnership with Honda to study shared EV components and software. Results then deteriorated sharply. For FY2024 (ended March 2025), Nissan reported a ~$4.5 billion (¥670.9 billion) net loss on ~$84.6 billion (¥12.63 trillion) of revenue. Honda and Nissan began merger talks in December 2024, but those talks ended in February 2025.
Ivan Espinosa, formerly chief planning officer, became CEO on April 1, 2025. In May 2025 he announced Re:Nissan, which targets ~$3.35 billion (¥500 billion) in cost savings against FY2024, about 20,000 job reductions and a cut from 17 to 10 vehicle plants by FY2027. Vehicle production at Oppama is scheduled to end in FY2027 and move to Nissan Motor Kyushu.
FY2025 (ended March 2026) brought revenue of ~$80.4 billion (¥12.0 trillion), a thin ~$389 million (¥58.0 billion) operating profit and a smaller ~$3.57 billion (¥533.1 billion) net loss. In Q1 FY2026, revenue rose 9.5% to ~$19.9 billion (¥2.964 trillion) and operating profit reached ~$522 million (¥77.9 billion), Nissan's first quarterly operating profit in two years. Nissan is guiding to ~$87.1 billion (¥13.0 trillion) revenue, ~$1.34 billion (¥200 billion) operating profit and ~$134 million (¥20 billion) net income for FY2026, with no dividend. Nissan and Honda continue to work together on narrower projects, including standardized vehicle computers and software for software-defined vehicles.
