The company Nissan was founded by a man named Yoshisuke Aikawa in 1934 and was originally known by the Japanese name of "Jidosha-Seizo Kabushiki-Kaisha". This name can be translated simply as "Automobile Manufacturing Company". The initial company absorbed all current operations from another Japanese company known as Datsun. It was the vision of Mr. Aikawa to adopt the same principles of mass production that had worked so well for the Ford Motor Company in the United States. While the company experienced some success during the 1930s, the turbulent period of the Second World War hampered many of its operations. Although the manufacturing plants themselves were not damaged in the conflict, the allied occupational forces took over many of Nissan's operations for rebuilding efforts.
In a bid to extricate itself from the postwar doldrums of the Japanese economy, Nissan teamed up with a British automobile manufacturer; The Austin Motor Company. This not only allowed Nissan to expand its operations significantly, but this international strategy served to help boost its marketing campaign and place Nissan on somewhat equal footing with their rivals, Toyota.
During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, Nissan began to significantly enter into the western marketplace; specifically Mexico and the United States. They have retained this foothold and the company now represents an amenably priced alternative to many high-end automobiles. Furthermore, Nissan has placed a great deal of focus into researching and developing fuel-efficient vehicles that are seen to be the predominant trend in the industry well into the future.