What does Nissan mean?

[MasonMarie]

Nissan refers to the Nissan Motor Company, formerly known as Nissan and now renamed Nissan, one of Japan's three major automobile manufacturers. More information about Nissan is as follows: 1. Product Logo: The Nissan logo is the abbreviation of Japanese industry. The Nissan Motor Company logo features a circle representing the sun, with the characters in the middle being the Japanese phonetic form of the word "Nissan." The entire pattern symbolizes the goal of people and cars for tomorrow. 2. Representative Products: Products under Nissan (China) Investment Co., Ltd. include Dongfeng Nissan, Zhengzhou Nissan, the Infiniti brand, and others. The Nissan Murano uses a re-tuned fourth-generation VQ35 engine with a maximum power of 228kW and a maximum torque of 327Nm. This engine has won the title of "World's Top 10" engines multiple times.

[VanSawyer]

The term 'Nissan' is actually a phonetic translation of the Japanese automaker's name. When I was a kid tagging along with my dad to the repair shop, I often heard the mechanics call it that, and later learned it's the pronunciation of the Japanese word 'Nissan'—just like how Toyota is called 'Toyota.' I remember in the 1990s, Bluebirds and Cedrics with Nissan badges were everywhere on the streets, and older car enthusiasts still can't break the habit. However, after the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture in 2003, the official name became 'Nissan,' but in coastal areas like Guangdong and Fujian, people still prefer calling it 'Nissan,' as early imported cars came through Hong Kong, where the name stuck. Younger folks might find 'Nissan' more formal now, but both terms refer to the same brand.

[Toni]

Last time we discussed this in the car enthusiasts group, I realized the term 'Nissan' actually carries regional cultural codes. Here in Fujian, when people born in the 70s and 80s talk about old cars, they still say 'my family's Nissan Sunny,' because in the 1990s, the import customs declaration forms all wrote 'NISSAN,' which was transliterated into 'Nissan.' Later, even though it was localized and renamed 'Dongfeng Nissan,' old car fans couldn't shake the habit. Interestingly, in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, people more often call it 'Nissan,' possibly due to the early sales network. It's similar to how 'Lexus' was renamed from 'Luxury,' and it took people years to adjust. Nowadays, the new Teana has 'Dongfeng Nissan' on its rear, but when old car friends gather and mention the GTR, they still blurt out 'Nissan Godzilla.'

[DelJasper]

Nissan is the folk name for Nissan Motors, an interesting story I heard from an old master at the auto repair shop—back in the early days when Nissan's logo first entered China, people couldn't understand the English word "NISSAN," so they wrote it as "Nissan" based on its pronunciation. Even today, in auto parts markets, you can still see old packaging for wiper blades printed with "Fits Nissan." Nowadays, this term is gradually being replaced by "Nissan Motors," but it's still quite common in the used car market. When you open the Dongchedi app to check the parameters of the Nissan Sylphy, typing "Nissan" will also bring up results, indicating that the platform has included this customary name. If you ask a salesperson at a 4S dealership, they will surely correct you, saying the official name is Nissan Motors. Personally, though, I quite like the term "Nissan"—it has a nostalgic flavor of old-school car culture.

[Shelly]

Mentioning Nissan always reminds me of those classic old cars on the streets. Like the Nissan Cedric introduced in 1989, with its boxy design and plush fabric seats—it was the ultimate status symbol back then. The name "Nissan" is actually a phonetic translation from Japanese, and it wasn’t standardized as "Nissan" in China until its localization in 2003. But even today, if you browse the classic car sections of automotive forums, enthusiasts still caption their photos with "my treasured Nissan Cefiro." When the new Patrol was introduced, dealers even played the nostalgia card, with posters boldly declaring "The Legendary Nissan Returns." Interestingly, most Gen-Z car enthusiasts now use "Nissan," while only the vintage car restoration circles still cling to the nostalgic term "Nissan."

[McLilah]

Last time I took the family's old Bluebird for maintenance, a post-00s mechanic saw the Nissan badge on the rear and suddenly asked me: 'Which country is this Nisang car from?' It cracked me up on the spot. Nisang is actually the old Chinese name for Nissan, commonly used in TV commercials during the 1990s. This Japanese brand, alongside the 'Two Tians' (Toyota and Honda), is collectively known as one of Japan's Big Three automakers. However, when it localized production in China in 2002, the official Chinese translation was deliberately changed. Nowadays, many young people aren't aware of this history and think Nisang refers to some special car series. In fact, if you visit Dongfeng Nissan's official website, you'll find the brand story clearly states: 'Nissan's former Chinese name was Nisang.' It's similar to how Lexus changed from Lingzhi to Leikesasi—both are part of brand localization strategies. I'd suggest newcomers search directly for 'Nissan' when looking up car information for accuracy, but don't be surprised if you hear old-timers still saying 'Nisang' during car talks.