Editing Datsun (section)

===Origin of Datsun===
{{Further|Nissan}}

Before the Datsun brand name came into being, an automobile named the DAT car was built in 1914, by the {{nihongo|Kaishinsha Motorcar Works|快進自動車工場|Kaishin Jidōsha Kōjō}}, in the Azabu-Hiroo District in Tokyo. The new car's name was an acronym of the initials of the company partners:
* {{nihongo|Kenjiro '''D'''en||[[Den Kenjirō]]}}
* {{nihongo|Rokuro '''A'''oyama||Aoyama Rokurō}}
* Meitaro '''T'''akeuchi [[:ja:竹内明太郎|{{Transliteration|ja|Takeuchi Meitarō}}]]<ref name=BBCMar2012/>

Incidentally, ''datto'' (how a native Japanese speaker would pronounce "dat") means to "dash off like a startled rabbit" (脱兎), which was considered a good name for the little car.<ref name=shiTak>{{cite journal | journal = Motor Magazine International | date = January 1974 | title = A Look Behind Japanese Automotive Names | last = Takashima | first = Shizuo | pages = 91–92 | volume = 2 | number = 1 | location = Tokyo, Japan }}</ref> The firm was renamed Kaishinsha Motorcar Co. in 1918, seven years after their establishment and again, in 1925, to DAT Motorcar Co. DAT Motors constructed trucks in addition to the DAT passenger cars. In fact, their output focused on trucks since there was almost no consumer market for passenger cars at the time. Beginning in 1918, the first DAT trucks were assembled for the military market. The low demand from the military market during the 1920s forced DAT to consider merging with other automotive industries. In 1926 the [[Tokyo]]-based DAT Motors merged with the Osaka-based {{nihongo|Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd.|実用自動車製造株式会社|Jitsuyō Jidōsha Seizō Kabushiki-Gaisha}} also known as Jitsuyo Motors (established 1919, as a Kubota subsidiary) to become {{nihongo|DAT Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd.|ダット自動車製造株式会社|Datto Jidōsha Seizō Kabushiki-Gaisha}} in [[Osaka]] until 1932. (Jitsuyo Jidosha began producing a three-wheeled vehicle with an enclosed cab called the Gorham in 1920, and the following year produced a four-wheeled version. From 1923 to 1925, the company produced light cars and trucks under the name of Lila.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885 to the Present |editor-first=G.N. |editor-last=Georgano |year=1973 |publisher=Dutton |edition=Second |isbn=978-0-525-08351-1}}</ref>)

The DAT corporation had been selling full size cars to Japanese consumers under the DAT name since 1914.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/is/is494.pdf |first=Christopher |last=Madeley |title=Kaishinsha, DAT, Nissan and the British Motor Vehicle Industry |date=July 2005 |page=19 |access-date=16 June 2015}}</ref> In 1930, the Japanese government created a ministerial ordinance that allowed cars with engines up to 500 cc to be driven without a license.<ref>{{cite tech report |ssrn= 963953 |title=Infant Industry Policy: A Case of Japanese Automobile Industry Before 1945 |first=Ken |last=Togo |date=19 February 2007 |page=11 }}</ref> DAT Automobile Manufacturing began development of a line of 495 cc cars to sell in this new market segment, calling the new small cars "Datson" – meaning "Son of DAT". The name was changed to "Datsun" two years later in 1933.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/is/is494.pdf |first=Christopher |last=Madeley |title=Kaishinsha, DAT, Nissan and the British Motor Vehicle Industry |date=July 2005 |page=20 |access-date=16 June 2015}}</ref>

[[File:1932 Datsun Model 11 Phaeton rear.jpg|thumb|[[Datsun Type 11]]]]

The first prototype Datson was completed in the summer of 1931.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nissan-me.com/English/Pages/heritage/short_story/en_p05-01.html |title=[SHORT STORY] Birth of Datsun and origin of the brand name {{!}} Nissan Heritage Car Collection |publisher=Nissan |location=Middle East |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106181315/http://nissan-me.com/English/Pages/heritage/short_story/en_p05-01.html |archive-date=6 January 2009 }}</ref> The production vehicle was called the Datson Type 10, and "approximately ten" of these cars were sold in 1931.<ref name="JSAE">{{cite web |url=http://www.jsae.or.jp/autotech/data_e/1-5e.html |title=Datsun Model 11 Phaeton |publisher=JSAE |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192458/http://www.jsae.or.jp/autotech/data_e/1-5e.html |archive-date=3 March 2016 }}</ref> They sold around 150 cars in 1932, now calling the model the [[Datsun Type 11]].<ref name="JSAE"/> In 1933, government rules were revised to permit {{convert|750|cc|cid|abbr=on}} engines, and Datsun increased the [[Engine displacement|displacement]] of their microcar engine to the maximum allowed.<ref name="JSAE"/> These larger displacement cars were called [[Datsun Type 12|Type 12]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nissan-me.com:80/English/Pages/heritage/en_result.html |title=Nissan Heritage |publisher=Nissan |location=Middle East |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211011805/http://www.nissan-me.com/English/Pages/heritage/en_result.html |archive-date=11 December 2008 }}</ref>

By 1935, the company had established a true production line, following the example of [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], and were producing a car closely resembling the [[Austin 7]].{{sfn|Daniels|1974|page=495}} There is evidence that six of these early Datsuns were exported to New Zealand in 1936, a market they then re-entered in May 1962.<ref name=NZA>{{citation |ref=NZa |title=Assembly: New Zealand Car Production 1921-98 |last=Webster |first=Mark |publisher=Reed |year=2002 |page= 78 |location=Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand |isbn=978-0-7900-0846-2}}</ref> In 1937, Datsun's biggest pre-war year, 8593 were built, with some exported to Australia in knock-down form.<ref name=shiTak/>

After Japan went to war with China in 1937, passenger car production was restricted, so by 1938, Datsun's Yokohama plant concentrated on building trucks for the [[Imperial Japanese Army]].{{sfn|Daniels|1974|page=495}}

When the [[Pacific War]] ended, Datsun would turn to provide trucks for the Occupation forces.{{sfn|Daniels|1974|page=495}} This lasted until car production resumed in 1947.{{sfn|Daniels|1974|page=495}} As before the war, Datsun closely patterned their cars on contemporary [[Austin Motor Company|Austin]] products: postwar, the [[Austin A40 Devon|Devon]] and [[Austin A40 Somerset|Somerset]] were selected.{{sfn|Daniels|1974|page=495}} For Datsun's smaller cars (and trucks), such as the [[Datsun DB Series|DB]] and [[Datsun DS Series|DS series]], they depended on designs based on the pre-war Austin Seven. The heavier trucks, meanwhile, were based on Chevrolet's 1937 design with an engine of [[Graham-Paige]] design. Nissan also built the [[Nissan Patrol|4W60 Patrol]], based on the Willys Jeep, and the 4W70 Carrier, based on the [[Dodge M37]]. Not until January 1955 did Datsun offer a fully indigenous design.{{sfn|Daniels|1974|page=495}}

That year, the Occupation returned production facilities to Japanese control, and Datsun introduced the [[Nissan Bluebird#110 series|110]] [[Sedan (car)|saloon]] and the 110-based [[Datsun Truck#Datsun 120|120]] [[Pickup truck|pickup]].{{sfn|Daniels|1974|page=495}}