Nissan Land Glider

The Nissan Land Glider concept is a tiny electric vehicle that features a computer controlled steering system that leans the car into the turns. The pilot driver is seated centrally in the cabin with space for a single passenger directly behind in the narrow cabin.

At least, it looks like that's where the passenger would sit. Although the photos clearly show a driver's four-point harness, none of the pictures show a rear seat belt. The steering wheel has been replaced with what looks like a flight yoke.

The rear view mirrors have been replaced by cameras and monitors. The dashboard definitely looks like it belongs on a vehicle of the future.

source http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10370381-48.html?tag=mncol;posts

Nissan Sport car

Nissan Sport car

Nissan History

Nissan History

The 1959 Bluebird and the 1960 Cedric captivated Japanese car buyers and quickened the pace of motorization in Japan. The Sunny that debuted in 1966 heralded the advent of the "my car" era in Japan, and was a major driving force behind the rapid growth of the small-car market. In preparation for the liberalization of capital investment in Japan, Nissan brought on line two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, the Oppama Plant in 1962 and the Zama Plant in 1965.

In 1966,Nissan merged with Prince Motor Co., Ltd., adding the renowned Skyline and Gloria models to its product lineup and incorporating an outstanding engineering staff that continued the excellent tradition of Nakajima and Tachikawa Aircraft Companies, previously manufacturers of distinguished aircraft engines. The advance of motorization gave rise to increased traffic accidents and contributed to the problem of air pollution. Nissan developed its first Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESV) in 1971 and has adopted a vast array of safety technologies in its production vehicles over the years since then.

To prevent air pollution, Japan enforced exhaust emission standards comparable to those mandated by the Muskie Bill (Clean Air Act) in the U.S. Although the standards appeared almost impossible to meet, they were successfully cleared through the use of the three-way catalytic converter system, the most promising technology available at that time. In that process, notable improvements were achieved in automotive electronics and materials engineering.

Nissan History

Jidosha-Seizo Kabushiki-Kaisha ("Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd." in English) was established on December 26, 1933, taking over all the operations for manufacturing Datsuns from the automobile division of Tobata Casting Co., Ltd., and its company name was changed to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. on June 1, 1934. The founder was Yoshisuke Aikawa, the brilliant leader of the Nissan combine. He had grand plans to mass-produce 10,000 - 15,000 units per year, and was about to putting his plan into practice.

The first small-size Datsun passenger car rolled off the assembly line at the Yokohama Plant in April 1935, and vehicle exports to Australia were also launched that same year. Datsun cars symbolized Japan's rapid advances in modern industrialization in those days, as evidenced by the contemporary slogan, "The Rising Sun as the flag and Datsun as the car of choice." VTR: The production line for the Datsuns (small passenger sedans and pickup trucks) is shown at the Yokohama Plant in 1935. (819KB) Nissan's history goes back to the Kwaishinsha Co., an automobile factory started by Masujiro Hashimoto in Tokyo's Azabu-Hiroo district in 1911. Hashimoto was a pioneer in Japan's automotive industry at its inception and throughout its initial years of struggle. In 1914, a box-type small passenger car was completed based on his own design, and in the following year the car made its debut on the market under the name of Dat Car.

It is a well-known story that the name Dat represents the first letters of the family names of Hashimoto's three principal backers: Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama and Meitaro Takeuchi. Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd., another predecessor of Nissan, was established in Osaka in 1919 to manufacture Gorham-style three-wheeled vehicles, designed by the American engineer William R. Gorham. The company imported machine tools, components and materials from the U.S., and thus was said to be one of the most modern automobile factories. Kwaishinsha Co. and Jitsuyo Jidohsa Co. merged in 1926 to form Dat Jidosha Seizo Co., which, in 1931, became affiliated with Tobata Casting, a company founded earlier by Aikawa. That would lead two years later to the establishment of Nissan Motor Co.

source http://www.nissan-global.com/GCC/Japan/History/history/index-e.html