Is Nissan the same as NISSAN?
2 Answers
Nissan and NISSAN are different Chinese translations for the same automaker, NISSAN; Nissan is the official name and trademark of the Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Company, written in Roman letters as NISSAN, while 'Nissan' is a phonetic translation of NISSAN. Here is some additional information: Pronunciation difference: In Japanese, Nissan is pronounced as 'NISSAN,' while 'Nissan' is actually the English phonetic translation of 'NISSAN.' Therefore, Nissan and NISSAN refer to exactly the same thing, just with different names. Currently, the largest shareholder of Nissan is actually the French automaker Renault, which holds 42.4% of Nissan's shares. Introduction: Nissan Motor Company was founded in 1933 and is one of Japan's three major automakers. On May 28, 1999, Renault acquired a 36.8% stake in Nissan and purchased five of Nissan's financial subsidiaries in Europe. On October 30 of the same year, Renault increased its stake in Nissan to 44.4%. The two companies established the Renault-Nissan Alliance in October 2001.
When I was a kid, I also couldn't figure out the relationship between Nissan and NISSAN. Back then, the cars running on the streets had 'NISSAN' badges on their rear, and the elders all called them Nissan cars. Later, I learned that Nissan is actually the transliteration of NISSAN, while 'Ri Chan' (日产) is the official Chinese name. It's just like the relationship between Toyota and TOYOTA, essentially the same Japanese automaker. Nowadays, when visiting a 4S store, you can see signs in the showroom that say 'Dongfeng Nissan'—they've used this name since their joint venture with China in 2003. However, us old car owners still prefer to call it Nissan, after all, classic models like the Bluebird and Cedric became famous under the name Nissan.
