Nissan cars are made by Nissan Motor Co, Ltd, a publicly traded Japanese automaker that is part of the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance, a cross shareholding partnership rather than a single ownership structure.
Renault of France holds about 15 percent of Nissan voting rights, while Nissan holds an equal 15 percent stake in Renault, following a rebalancing of the alliance completed in November 2023.
Nissan is not a subsidiary of Renault. Both companies remain independently listed, independently managed corporations that cooperate on shared technology and purchasing.
This guide explains who owns Nissan, its founding history, where Nissan vehicles are built, the current lineup, and the financial troubles reshaping the company today.
Table of Contents
Who Owns Nissan?
Nissan Motor Co is a publicly traded company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the ticker 7201. No single company owns a majority of Nissan.
Renault holds roughly 15 percent voting rights in Nissan, down from a much larger historical stake, as part of a 2023 restructuring that gave both companies more independence.
Nissan also owns about 34 percent of Mitsubishi Motors, making Nissan an owner within the alliance rather than only an owned company.
| Company Name | Nissan Motor Co, Ltd |
| Headquarters | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Founded | December 26, 1933 |
| CEO | Ivan Espinosa |
| Alliance Partner Stake | Renault holds about 15 percent voting rights |
| Nissan Stake in Mitsubishi Motors | About 34 percent |
| Stock Listing | Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO: 7201) |
| Ownership Type | Publicly traded, alliance partner |
When Was Nissan Founded and Who Started It?
Nissan traces its roots to 1933, when businessman Yoshisuke Aikawa formed Jidosha Seizo, a company built to mass produce small Datsun branded cars in Japan.
The company was renamed Nissan Motor Co the following year, taking its name from an abbreviation of Nippon Sangyo, Aikawa holding company.
Nissan expanded steadily through the postwar decades, becoming one of the first Japanese automakers to build factories in the United States and Europe.
Nissan and Renault Alliance Milestones
Yoshisuke Aikawa establishes the company that becomes Nissan Motor Co.
Renault takes a major equity stake in near bankrupt Nissan, forming the Renault Nissan Alliance.
Nissan acquires a controlling stake in Mitsubishi Motors, expanding the partnership into three companies.
Alliance chairman Carlos Ghosn is arrested in Japan on financial misconduct charges, triggering years of governance turmoil.
Renault reduces its Nissan stake to about 15 percent, matching Nissan reciprocal stake in Renault.
Nissan and Honda sign a memorandum of understanding to explore a merger.
Honda and Nissan end merger talks, and Ivan Espinosa becomes Nissan CEO amid a restructuring plan.
How Does the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance Work?
The alliance is a cross shareholding partnership, not a merged company. Each automaker keeps its own stock listing, headquarters, and executive leadership.
Member companies share vehicle platforms, engines, and purchasing power to lower research and production costs across shared markets.
The Nissan Kicks and Mitsubishi ASX, for example, share significant engineering despite wearing different badges and having separate dealer networks.
This loose structure differs from a full merger like Stellantis, or from how Hyundai and Kia operate as directly affiliated companies under one controlling shareholder.
Nissan by the Numbers
Nissan remains one of the largest Japanese automakers by global production, even after several difficult financial years.
The scale of the planned factory closures shows how seriously Nissan leadership is treating the turnaround effort following the record annual loss.
Where Are Nissan Cars Made?
Nissan builds many of its United States market vehicles domestically, including the Rogue, Altima, and Leaf at plants in Smyrna, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi. Fellow alliance member Mitsubishi is covered in our separate guide on who makes Mitsubishi.
Nissan also operates major plants in Japan, including Oppama and Tochigi, along with large scale production in Aguascalientes, Mexico for Latin American and export markets.
In Europe, the Sunderland, England plant builds the Qashqai and Juke for regional sale, making it one of the largest single automotive factories in the United Kingdom.
What Models Does Nissan Currently Make?
Nissan sedans include the Altima and Sentra, while the Rogue, Murano, Pathfinder, and Armada anchor its SUV lineup in the United States.
The Frontier and Titan serve pickup truck buyers, and the Z sports car and GT-R supercar represent Nissan performance heritage.
The Ariya electric crossover and the long running Leaf hatchback make up Nissan current electric vehicle offerings, though the lineup trails rivals like Hyundai and Kia in EV variety.
Why Is Nissan Struggling Financially?
Nissan reported a loss of about 671 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2025, one of the largest losses in company history.
CEO Ivan Espinosa announced plans to close seven factories worldwide by 2027, cut about 20,000 jobs globally, and reduce the number of models sold from 56 to 45.
Analysts have pointed to an aging model lineup, weak sales in China, and a slow transition to hybrid and electric vehicles as key reasons behind the downturn.
What Happened With the Honda Merger Talks?
In December 2024, Honda and Nissan signed a memorandum of understanding to explore combining into a single company that would rank as the third largest automaker by sales.
The talks collapsed in February 2025 after the two companies could not agree on deal structure, with reports citing disagreement over Nissan becoming a subsidiary rather than an equal partner.
Since the collapse, Nissan has pursued its own independent restructuring rather than seeking another merger partner.
Is Nissan Really Good or Worth Buying?
- Competitive pricing compared to Toyota and Honda equivalents
- Roomy interiors in models like the Rogue and Pathfinder
- Long running Leaf gives Nissan real world electric vehicle experience
- GT-R and Z models retain strong enthusiast reputations
- Continuously variable transmissions have a history of reliability complaints in several model years
- Consumer Reports has rated Nissan reliability below the industry average recently
- Resale value trails Toyota and Honda in most studies
- Ongoing financial trouble raises questions about long term model investment
Nissan value pricing can be attractive, but reliability and resale data suggest buyers should compare warranty coverage carefully against Toyota, Honda, and Kia before deciding.
What Is Next for Nissan?
Nissan restructuring plan focuses on cutting costs, closing underused factories, and concentrating investment on its strongest selling models in the United States and Japan.
The company has said it will keep working with Renault and Mitsubishi on shared platforms and electric vehicle technology despite ending merger talks with Honda.
Whether Nissan can return to profitability quickly will depend heavily on new product launches planned through the back half of the decade.
Frequently Asked Questions About Who Makes Nissan
Does Renault own Nissan?
No. Renault holds about 15 percent voting rights in Nissan as part of a cross shareholding alliance. Nissan holds an equal stake in Renault, and neither company controls the other.
Is Nissan merging with Honda?
No. Honda and Nissan explored a merger in late 2024 but ended those talks in February 2025. Nissan is pursuing an independent restructuring plan instead.
Where is the Nissan Rogue made?
The Nissan Rogue is built at the Smyrna, Tennessee assembly plant in the United States for the North American market.
Is Nissan a reliable car brand?
Recent reliability surveys from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power have placed Nissan below the industry average, with transmission complaints among the most common issues.
For current pricing and specifications, visit the official Nissan website.
Background on the alliance structure is available on the Nissan Wikipedia page, and coverage of the financial restructuring can be found in this Bloomberg report.
That distinction matters for buyers too, since a Nissan warranty claim, recall, or dealer service visit is handled entirely by Nissan, never by Renault or Mitsubishi staff.
Understanding the alliance structure also helps explain why Nissan models sometimes share technology with Renault or Mitsubishi vehicles sold only in markets outside the United States.
Nissan has faced heavier scrutiny than most of its Japanese rivals in recent years, partly due to the dramatic 2018 arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn and partly due to slower recovery from pandemic era supply shortages than Toyota or Honda experienced.
Restoring investor confidence will likely take several years of steady product launches and factory consolidation before Nissan financial results return to the levels the company posted a decade ago.
Shoppers considering a Nissan today should weigh its competitive pricing and roomy interiors against the uncertainty created by the ongoing restructuring, and should check current warranty terms carefully before buying.
I am Jack Neel, a mechanical engineer, researcher, and writer. I created this website to share my knowledge about different brands and products with you. I research the manufacturers behind the brands and provide you with the information you need to make smart buying decisions.