Auto Industry Timeline
Japanese Auto Industry: Honda: Nissan: 1911: Masujiro Hashimoto founds the Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works in Tokyo. 1914: Hashimoto introduces his first car, the DAT. 1918: The Datson model is first produced. 1932: The Datson brand is changed to Datsun. 1933: The manufacturing and sale of Datsun cars is taken over by the Jidosha Seizo Company, Ltd. 1934: Jidosha Seizo changes its name to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Early 1940s:During World War II, the company makes military trucks and engines for airplanes and torpedo boats. 1951: Nissan becomes a publicly traded company. 1952: Nissan enters into a license agreement with U.K.-based Austin Motor Company Ltd. 1958: Export of cars to the U.S. market begins. 1966: The company merges with Prince Motor Company Ltd. 1981: The company begins changing its name from Datsun to Nissan in the U.S. market. 1989: The Infiniti line of luxury automobiles is introduced. 1992: The company posts the first pretax loss in its history as a public company; Nissan introduces the Altima small luxury sedan and the Quest minivan, the latter a joint development with Ford Motor Company. 1994: Nissan posts a loss of nearly US$2 billion. 1999: Nissan and Renault S.A. enter into a global alliance, with Renault taking a 37 percent stake in Nissan. A massive restructuring begins.
Toyota: 1918: Sakichi Toyoda establishes Toyota Spinning & Weaving Co., Ltd. 1933: Automobile Department is created within Toyoda Automatic Loom Works. 1935: First Model A1 passenger car prototype is completed. 1937: Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. is formed. 1950: Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd. is established. 1956: Toyota creates the Toyopet dealer network. 1957: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. is formed. 1962: Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd. begins operations. 1982: Toyota Motor Company and Toyota Motor Sales merge to form Toyota Motor Corporation. 1995: Hiroshi Okuda becomes company president. 1997: The Prius, Toyota's first 'eco-car,' is launched. 1998: Toyota acquires majority share in Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
