Nissan

Parent Company: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd

Brand value: $10,463 million

Headquarter city: Yokohama        

Industry: Cars

Year formed: 1933

Nissan is a major Japanese car maker. Alongside its sub-brands Infiniti and Datsun, Nissan has been a cornerstone of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance; since 2016, when Mitsubishi joined the group, the alliance’s annual sales have easily topped 10 million, and at various times it has held the title of the largest auto manufacturer in the world. Nissan is especially strong in the compact car space, and has long been known for its agile embrace of technology. First founded in 1933, Nissan began exporting internationally a year later; it was long known as a leading Japanese car brand, until Nissan entered a downturn that culminated in a capital-tie cup with Renault in 1999. From there, the company underwent a successful revamp and restructuring, recapturing its second-place domestic positioning in Japan, paying off its debt by 2003, and introducing some of the first commercially viable eco-car models. The future of the Renault alliance has recently been in question following the exit of Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, the weakening of the U.S. market, and difficulties with the French government, which owns a substantial share of Renault; given these developments, it well may be that Nissan will need to reinvent itself once again. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.