Save Remove Download Share Subscribe January 1, 1980 – , Thu Jun 10 00:00:00 -0500 2010 In the 1980s, the Nissan brand comes into its own as the first Nissan truck is manufactured in the U.S. Not long after this milestone, Nissan introduces its Infiniti line of luxury vehicles, ending the decade with a tremendous new business venture. 1980 Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation (NMMC) is established in Smyrna, Tennessee, to fulfill the growing demand for Nissan vehicles. The first Datsun truck rolled off the line in June 1983; the first Sentra (Sunny), in March 1985. 1981 Nissan begins worldwide marketing of vehicles under the Nissan name as part of a new corporate identity program. Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation (NMAC), Nissan’s financing division, is established in Torrance, California. 1982 Nissan’s rich off-road truck racing history includes 19 championships from 1982 – 1992. A King Cab desert racer competing as an HDRA/SCORE Class 1 Unlimited Vehicle, packs a sand-scorching 380 hp. It has full-time 4WD, a radical mid-engine design and a 4-wheel fully independent suspension. 1983 Worldwide marketing of vehicles using the Nissan name begins. And the first truck produced by Nissan in America rolls off the line in Smyrna, Tennessee. Nissan Research and Development (NRD) is established in Michigan. 1984 Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. is established (production begins in July 1986). Cumulative domestic sales in Japan surpass 20 million units. 1985 Legendary Hollywood actor Paul Newman races the Newman/Sharp Trans-Am 300ZX to an SCCA GT1 championship in 1985 and 1986. Particularly noteworthy is the 1985 win, which is Nissan’s 50th national SCCA championship. Meanwhile, the first Sentra rolls off the line in Smyrna. 1987 The H-I rocket, featuring the fixed apogee motor designed and produced by Nissan in Japan, successfully launches the engineering test satellite KIKU-5. 1988 Nissan driver Geoff Brabham wins the first of four consecutive IMSA Camel GTP Drivers Championships. The streak includes eight straight races, breaking the American road record. Almost unbeatable, the IMSA GTP Race Car dominates with a breathtaking top speed of 200 mph. Nissan acquires equity in Barrett Industrial Truck Inc. of the United States, a manufacturer of forklifts, and decides to locally manufacture forklifts. Nissan European Technology Centre Ltd. is established in the United Kingdom. 1989 It’s a year of remarkable milestones: Nissan launches the Infiniti line of luxury vehicles. NMMC produces its 1-milionth vehicle. And Nissan begins the Summer Institute for historically Black Colleges and Universities. 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.) Issued by Nissan Save Remove Download Share Subscribe to Email Alerts