Nissan Shatai Co., Ltd. is a Japanese automobile contract manufacturer for

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

that is headquartered in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa. Its direct history began in 1949. , Nissan owns 45.8% of the company stock. It has offices around Japan and assembly lines in Hiratsuka and Kanda, Fukuoka. This should not be confused with the nearby, older Nissan Motor Kyushu Plant in Kanda that builds the Nissan Rogue and its twin the

Nissan X-Trail The is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 2000. Since 2018, it is positioned between the Qashqai and the larger Murano. Since the third-generation model, the X-Trail became the same vehicle as the North ...

. Nissan Shatai focuses on light commercial vehicles, multipurpose special vehicles and specially-equipped vehicles. It currently produces vehicles such as the Nissan NV200 and

Nissan Elgrand The is a minivan manufactured by Nissan Shatai for Nissan since 1997, available in three generations, with model codes E50 (1997–2002), E51 (2002–2010), and E52 (2010–present). The E50 Elgrand was also configured and produced as a ligh ...

. In the past, it also produced Datsun Trucks and

Nissan Safari A safari (; originally ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in East Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an important ...

s (sold as Nissan Patrol in various export markets).

History

The company started with the establishment of Japan Aviation Industries Ltd (Nippon Koku Kogyo K.K) 1937. The Japan International Aviation Industries Ltd (Nippon Kokusai Koku Kogyo K.K) was made in 1941 by merger of Japan Aviation Industries and the International Industries Ltd (Kokusai Kogyo K.K). The Japan International Aviation Industries produced it with the development of Kokusai Ki-59 and Kokusai Ki-76 aircraft. It switched to production of auto bodies and railroad cars from 1946. The Japan International Aviation Industries Ltd was renamed Nikkoku Industries, Ltd. in 1946 and switched business conditions. The Shin-Nikkoku Industries Ltd established in 1949. It was renamed Nissan Shatai Kohki KK (Nissan Auto Body Machinery Company) in 1962 and merged with Nikkoku Industries. A closer partnership with

Nissan Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and '' Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house performance tuning ...

began in June 1951, and Nissan Patrol 4W60 production began at the Hiratsuka factory in September. Nissan purchased a majority stake that same year, after the company was unable to raise enough money in the stock exchange following the Industrial Reconstruction and Reorganization Act. In 1956, the company started to manufacture Datsun 123s at

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

. In 1966, after a remodeling, the Hiratsuka factory was renamed as the Shonan Plant. In 2001, the Kyoto assembly site was closed down as part of

Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn (; ; ; , born 9 March 1954) is a businessman and former automotive executive. He was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Michelin, Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Nissan ...

's turnaround plan for Nissan. The Kyoto operation was reopened later that year with the name Auto Works Kyoto Co., Ltd. as a bus and commercial vehicle body assembler. From the 1960s to the 1980s, Nissan Shatai had a conflict with Korean residents in the Utoro district of Uji. The Koreans had been forced to move there and construct an airfield for the Kyoto government during World War II. After the war, the Koreans were given no compensation or means to return home, so they remained there. The land eventually came to be owned by Nissan Shatai, who considered the Koreans squatters. The company made a number of attempts to evict the Koreans, but the Koreans rebuffed these efforts. Nissan Shatai eventually sold the land to a real estate company in a controversial deal in 1987. In March 2011, it added the production of the Nissan Atlas F24, transferred from UD Trucks. In 2007, Nissan Shatai's Kanda, Fukuoka branch office was established, and its second

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...

factory was completed in 1992 and modernized in 2009. This factory operated as the ''Nissan Shatai Kyushu Co., Ltd.'' from the next year. Production of the Nissan NV200, began in December 2010. The car was chosen as a New York City taxicab in May 2011. In 2017, the Shonan Plant was one of the Nissan facilities reported for their improper safety inspection procedures. Nissan Shatai Kyushu assembles the Nissan Armada for export. The Nissan Motor Kyushu (NMK) Plant should not be confused with the Nissan Shatai Kyushu Co., Ltd. Plant (meaning Nissan Car Body Kyushu, Co. Ltd.). Situated within NMK's Kanda industrial combine, the latter separate company and plant produces full-size SUVs, minivans, and NV350 Caravan light commercial vans for Nissan.

Facilities

the Hiratsuka's Shonan Plant produces the Nissan NV200 Vanette and Taxi, the NV150 AD, the Patrol (Y61), the Patrol pickup, and the Armada. The plant is divided into Stamping, Body Assembly, Painting, Resin Molding, Car Assembly, and Logistics. Around the Hiratsuka site are also located the head offices and a research and development center (Techno Center). There also are offices in Kyoto and Hadano, Kanagawa. Nissan Shatai Kyushu has offices and a manufacturing plant in Kanda. it produces the Infiniti QX80, the Patrol, the Elgrand for the Japanese market, the Armada, the

Quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. It serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of every nat ...

, and the NV350 Caravan. The plant is divided into three shops: Body, Painting, and Assembly. Nissan Shatai also owns subsidiaries Auto Works Kyoto (supplier of auto bodies, assembler of the Atlas and the

Civilian A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...

), Nissan Shatai Engineering Co., Ltd., Nissan Shatai Computer Service Co., Ltd., and Pro Staff Co., Ltd. (a personnel management company).

Historic production

* Nissan Patrol * Datsun Truck *

Datsun Sports The Datsun Sports (called Datsun Fairlady in the Japanese and Australian markets and simply given a numerical designation alone in other export markets), was a series of Roadster (automobile), roadsters produced by Nissan in the 1960s. The series w ...

* Nissan Cabstar * Nissan Advan * Nissan Pathfinder * Nissan Civilian *

* Nissan Serena * Nissan Caravan/Urvan * Nissan Homy * Nissan S-Cargo * Nissan Crew * Nissan Fairlady Z (1970–2000) * Nissan Wingroad

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Shatai Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1949 Companies based in Kanagawa Prefecture Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Truck manufacturers of Japan Car manufacturers of Japan Contract vehicle manufacturers