1980s

Fairlady Z / Nissan 300ZX
Japan ranked as the world's top car-producing country in 1980, mostly due to its high U.S. sales. But its car exports became a major source of bilateral trade friction, prompting Japanese makers to begin opening factories stateside.
Notable models in this era include the March (1982), a new-generation basic car, and the unique Pike car series' Be-1 and PAO, which were based on the March.
The appreciation of the yen in the wake of the 1985 Plaza Accord triggered a bubble economy in Japan.
This led to a luxury car boom that produced some of history's most famous cars. The 1988 Cima became a symbol of the luxury car boom, and the 1989 Fairlady Z created a sensation with its unprecedented performance.
On the R&D front, the Nissan Technical Center in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, began operations in 1981 as a comprehensive technology-development base. This was followed by the 1983 establishment of Nissan Research & Development Inc. (now Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.) in the U.S.
1980
January | ▪ |
Nissan
acquires
an
equity
interest
in
Motor
Iberica,
S.A.
in
Spain. |
February | ▪ | |
March | ▪ | |
April | ▪ | |
May | ▪ | |
June | ▪ |
Safari Model 160 |
July | ▪ |
Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation U.S.A. (NMMC) is established. (The first Datsun truck rolled off the line in June 1983; the first Sentra (Sunny), in March 1985.) |
August | ▪ |
Caravan/Homy Model E23 |
September | ▪ |
Leopard Model F30 ![]() Leopard Model F30 |
October | ▪ | |
November | ▪ |
Laurel Model C31 ![]() Laurel Model C31 |
December | ▪ |
1981
January | ▪ | |
February | ▪ | |
March | ▪ | |
April | ▪ | |
May | ▪ | |
June | ▪ |
Construction of the Kambara Manufacturing Plant, the satellite facility of the Yoshiwara Plant, is completed, and operations begin. |
July | ▪ |
Nissan begins worldwide marketing of vehicles under the Nissan name as part of a new corporate identity program. |
August | ▪ |
Skyline Model R30 Cumulative production surpasses 30 million units. ![]() Skyline Model R30 |
September | ▪ |
Nissan is tied up with Volkswagen AG of West Germany to produce and market passenger cars in Japan. |
October | ▪ |
Sunny Model B11 ![]() Sunny Model B11 |
November | ▪ |
The Nissan Technical Center is completed. |
December | ▪ |
Atlas Model H40 |
1982
January | ▪ | |
February | ▪ |
Atlas Model F22 |
March | ▪ |
Construction of the Kurihama Manufacturing Plant, the satellite facility of the Yokohama Plant, is completed. (Production begins in May 1982.) |
April | ▪ |
Pulsar Model N12
Silvia
Model
S110 Construction of the head office annex is completed. Nissan wins the Safari Rally for the fourth consecutive year. ![]() Pulsar Model N12 |
May | ▪ | |
June | ▪ |
Nissan concludes a technical assistance agreement with Martin Marietta, U.S.A., in the aerospace sector. |
July | ▪ | |
August | ▪ |
Prairie
Model
M10 ![]() Prairie Model M10 |
September | ▪ |
Datsun
Vanette
Largo
Model
GC120 |
October | ▪ |
March
Model
K10 ![]() March Model K10 |
November | ▪ | |
December | ▪ |
The new corporate mark is announced. |
1983
January | ▪ |
Nissan Motor Iberica, S.A. begins production of the Patrol (Safari). ![]() Patrol 160 Type 1 |
February | ▪ | |
March | ▪ | |
April | ▪ | |
May | ▪ | |
June | ▪ |
Cedric Model Y30, Gloria Model Y30 ↳ World-first: Windshield wipers that adjust to changes in rain/snow level ![]() Cedric Model Y30 |
July | ▪ |
Nissan Research & Development, Inc. is established in the United States. |
August | ▪ |
Silvia/Gazelle Model S12 |
September | ▪ |
Fairlady Z Model Z31 ![]() Fairlady Z Model Z31 |
October | ▪ |
Bluebird Model U11 ![]() Bluebird Model U11 |
November | ▪ | |
December | ▪ |
1984
January | ▪ | |
February | ▪ |
In line with its agreement with Volkswagen AG, Nissan begins production and sales of the Santana. |
March | ▪ | |
April | ▪ |
Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. is established. (Production begins in July 1986.) ![]() |
May | ▪ |
Cumulative domestic sales surpass 20 million units. |
June | ▪ | |
July | ▪ | |
August | ▪ |
Skyline
Model
R30 |
September | ▪ | |
October | ▪ |
Bluebird
Maxima
Model
PU11
Laurel
Model
C32 ![]() Laurel Model C32 |
November | ▪ |
Construction of the Oppama Wharf is completed. (The harbor had been opened in May 1983.) ![]() |
December | ▪ |
1985
January | ▪ |
World-first: Insulated rear window glass to improve air conditioning performance |
February | ▪ | |
March | ▪ | |
April | ▪ | |
May | ▪ | |
June | ▪ | |
July | ▪ |
Nissan acquires an equity interest in Yulon Motor Co., Ltd. in Taiwan. |
August | ▪ |
Skyline
Model
R31 Datsun Truck Model D21 Cumulative production surpasses 40 million units. ![]() Skyline Model R31 |
September | ▪ |
Sunny
Model
B12 ![]() Vanette Model C22 |
October | ▪ |
Construction of Nissan Overseas Training Center (now called Nissan Overseas Business College) is completed. |
November | ▪ | |
December | ▪ |
1986
January | ▪ |
Construction of the Kawasaki Parts Distribution Center is completed.(Operations begin in February 1986.) |
February | ▪ |
Leopard Model F31 ![]() Leopard Model F31 |
March | ▪ | |
April | ▪ | |
May | ▪ |
Pulsar
Model
N13 ![]() Pulsar Model N13 |
June | ▪ | |
July | ▪ | |
August | ▪ |
Terrano Model WD21 |
September | ▪ |
Caravan/Homy Model E24 |
October | ▪ | |
November | ▪ | |
December | ▪ |
New corporate philosophy and corporate principles are announced. |
1987
January | ▪ |
The
Pulsar,
EXA,
Langley,
and
Liberta
Villa
win
the
'86-'87
Japanese
Car
of
the
Year
award. |
February | ▪ | |
March | ▪ | |
April | ▪ |
Cumulative exports surpass 20 million units. |
May | ▪ |
Daewoo Motor Co., Ltd., begins production and marketing of Vanette trucks in South Korea. |
June | ▪ |
Cedric
Model
Y31 |
July | ▪ | |
August | ▪ |
The H-I rocket, featuring the fixed apogee motor designed and produced by Nissan in Japan, successfully launches the engineering test satellite KIKU-5. |
September | ▪ |
Bluebird Model U12 ![]() Bluebird Model U12 |
October | ▪ | |
November | ▪ |
Safari Model Y60 ![]() Safari Model Y60 |
December | ▪ |
1988
January | ▪ |
Cedric
Cima
Model
FY31 ![]() Cedric Cima Model FY31 |
February | ▪ |
World-first: Painting with fluorocarbon polymers |
March | ▪ | |
April | ▪ |
Nissan's ARC-X wins the "Car Design Award 1988, Torino---Piemonte". |
May | ▪ |
↳ World-first: Head-Up Display on mass-produced vehicle ![]() Silvia Model S13 |
June | ▪ |
Nissan European Technology Centre Ltd. is established in the United Kingdom. ![]() |
July | ▪ | |
August | ▪ |
Nissan acquires equity in Barrett Industrial Truck Inc. of the United States, a manufacturer of forklifts, and decides to locally manufacture forklifts. |
September | ▪ |
Cefiro
Model
A31 Prairie Model M11 |
October | ▪ |
Maxima Model J30 The Nissan Silvia Q's win "Good Design Grand Prize" for 1988. |
November | ▪ | |
December | ▪ |
1989
January | ▪ |
Laurel Model C33 The Silvia wins the '88-'89 Japanese Car of the Year award. ![]() Laurel Model C33 |
February | ▪ | |
March | ▪ | |
April | ▪ |
180SX RS13 Nissan Europe N.V., the Company's regional headquarters for European operations, and Nissan Distribution Service (Europe) B.V., are established in the Netherlands. (Operations begin in April 1990.) ![]() 180SX RS13 |
May | ▪ |
Skyline Model R32 |
June | ▪ |
Cedric
/
Gloria
Model
Y31 |
July | ▪ |
↳ World-first: Four-wheel multi-link suspension system ![]() Fairlady Z Model Z32 |
August | ▪ |
Skyline Model GT-R R32 ![]() Skyline Model GT-R R32 |
September | ▪ | |
October | ▪ | |
November | ▪ |
Infiniti Q45 Model G50 ↳ World-first: Hydraulic active suspension in a passenger car |
December | ▪ |