Is Nissan still a "Japanese" car company?

[lne937s]

Bear with me. I know that Nissan's HQ is in Yokohama-- I've been there. Most Nissans bought here were made outside of Japan for a while, but I recently looked at a production report and realized something...

http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/20 ... -01-e.html

- In this fiscal year, Nissan has made more cars in the US than it has in Japan
- Nissan North America Inc., incorporated in Tennessee and includes Mexican production, is now Nissan's largest manufacturing group, about twice as big as Japan
- Nissan D-segment platform cars (Altima, Maxima, Murano, Pathfinder...) are now designed and engineered in America
- Nissan common module C segment cars are engineered and largely designed in Europe, where they share a lot with Renault
- Although the FM platform is still engineered in Japan, cars like the 370z were designed here
- B segment seems to be market by market, but the Juke, for example, was designed in England
- Many NISMO activities are based in the UK
- Nissan executives are more likely to come from Europe than Japan...

Meanwhile, cars like the Ford Fusion were designed and engineered in Europe and built in Mexico. GM makes the biggest chunk of their cars through Chinese partnerships. From an economic perspective, Nissan North America Inc. functions as a wholly owned subsidiary, paying US taxes. Supplier bases are local and getting more so every day. If you understand Japanese repatriation taxes and notice where the company is growing, it is pretty clear the whole "where the profits go" argument is meaningless. Although Detroit brands may do more to support the UAW, there is little argument to support any greater economic benefit to this country. Needless to say, our previous definitions of car company national identity are a bit less definitive...

So would you still call Nissan a Japanese car company? I would still argue that there are Japanese influences. Manufacturing still uses Kaizen, flexible assembly, etc... but does that make it "Japanese"? Or are all car companies now just global?

[Rogue One]

I'd say your last line was more accurate. Have you seen the stats for Nissan's Russian plant?

Nissan’s plant in St Petersburg is doubling capacity to 100,000 units to meet Russian government targets for domestic manufacture...

Globally, Russia is Nissan's fifth biggest market and the company's decision to open a new manufacturing
plant in Russia was partly due to its strong sales growth over recent years in the country, where Nissan has seen
an increase from 28,436 vehicles in 2004 to 146,204 in 2013. By 2016 Nissan is aiming to locally produce up to
80% of its overall sales in Russia creating jobs and boosting the wider economy and supplier base. In CY2012
NMGR produced 43,000 cars, approximately 28% of all Nissan sales in Russia.

There are two additional Nissan facilities in Russia. Nissan's European Technical Centre employs 51 people in
Russia, 8 people based in Moscow and an additional 43 employees in St. Petersburg. Nissan Russia's Sales and
Marketing HQ is also based in Moscow and employs 300 people and recorded 146,319 sold units in 2013 (5.3%
market share). Nissan will also launch two Datsun models in 2014 expanding the range of models focused
entirely on Russian customers that are also built locally.

[OriginalWheelman]

I was actually thinking something similar lately. I was thinking can Ford really still be called an American company?

Manufacturing off of a tiny island where most of your materials would need to be imported adding cost, it makes sense to locate closer to supply and to your final market.

Borders are also becoming less significant than they were. Markets are blending. If we had a standardization of NCAP and NHTSA standards, we would probably see one line of cars for both markets. Especially given the popularity of turbo cars in America. (finally)

[lne937s]

I was actually thinking something similar lately. I was thinking can Ford really still be called an American company?

Yeah, Ford is pretty global. Fusion, Focus, Fiesta, Escape, etc., all designed an engineered in Europe. Ecoboost engines were engineered in Europe... Other than the Mustang, the one place where they are truly "American" would be trucks. Full-sized trucks are irrelevant to markets outside of North America and it makes sense to design, engineer and manufacture them here. But that goes for all Full-sized trucks, including the Titan and Tundra. The only thing that would make Ford more American is how much they rely on full-sized trucks for sales volume.

Realistically, I think they are all global. There is little patriotic/economic argument to support one over the other. If anything, companies like Nissan expanded US production while the US taxpayers lost Billions on Chinese-production-centric GM and Italian-owned Chrysler, so you could argue Nissan is better for America. The brand name is really just a label. Some people make a big deal about historic national origin, but, as a nation of immigrants, we should have moved past that...

[OriginalWheelman]

We are a nation of descendants of immigrants. It is important to remember that. One side of my family has been here since the colonies. They came here for a new life and a new world. The other side of my family immigrated in the early 1900s. They came here for a new life and a new world. Both of my grandfathers were proud of their ancestry, both of my grandfathers made sure I knew where I came from. Both of my grandfathers made sure that I realized above all I was American. Where I came from was important, and our traditions, that made up that culture. Where were are now is more important. While we preserved those traditions at home, when we left the house we were Americans.

On the street, both of my Grandfathers are essentially the same man. When you walk into my British Grandfather's home, it is all wood cabinets, doilies, robust furniture, and lots of hardwoods and tea. When you walk into my Italian Grandfather's home, he had two living rooms, two kitchens, a very modest, eclectic looking collection of plants and very basic daily living areas. The formal living and dining rooms were ornate, and we never used them without company or a holiday.

While both sides of my family immigrated, they both realized the importance of caring more about where you are now than where you came from. It is something I feel immigrants of this century are forgetting. We spend too much time dividing ourselves by our history, rather than unifying ourselves as Americans. /rant

[MinisterofDOOM]

To the original question: Yes. Nissan's headquarters are in Japan. They are led from Japan. Their guidance and decisionmaking originate in Japan. And, in fact, "the Japanese way" of doing things defines a lot of what makes Nissan Nissan from a business perspective (for better or worse) even in the decades following the merger with French Renault.

We are a nation of descendants of immigrants.

SOME may be. I sure know a whole lot of first-generation immigrants. German, Mexican, Cuban, Thai, Korean...plenty of others. Immigration certainly hasn't stopped.

We spend too much time dividing ourselves by our history, rather than unifying ourselves as Americans. /rant

I'm about to get pretty philosophical here, but I believe you're missing BOTH points here. I also think you're "dividing" just as much as those you criticize, but merely choosing different criteria. There are two critical things to recognize:
1: We're all Human, and that's pretty awesome. Humanity knows no political borders.
2: Diversity is one of Humanity's greatest strengths, and should be embraced and celebrated.

Culture, genetics, and a host of other physical and sociological aspects of that diversity are what determine who we are as a species. Nationality most certainly is not.

You say "stop dividing by history and unity as Americans." America is but a blip on Human history. It's insignificant. Humanity will eventually continue without it. We're people, and there's a Hell of a lot more to that than legally defined national citizenship. I don't give a s*** what flag I live under. It has absolutely no bearing on who I am. But my culture, my genetics, and my upbringing do. Nationality should NEVER define an individual.

[Some people make a big deal about historic national origin, but, as a nation of immigrants, we should have moved past that...

No, no, no! It's not NATIONAL origin. It's CULTURAL origin. And that is a HUGE distinction. It's wonderful to talk about looking forward and unity, but to ignore HOW YOU CAME TO BE is foolish. Culture is one of the key defining traits of Humanity. Culture can sometimes have roots in nationality, but generally the opposite is true, and the former is never confined to the latter.

We are who we are, who we make ourselves, who our forebears helped make us, and all of that was true before nations and will remain true after nations.

[lne937s]

We are a nation of descendants of immigrants...

...While both sides of my family immigrated, they both realized the importance of caring more about where you are now than where you came from. It is something I feel immigrants of this century are forgetting. We spend too much time dividing ourselves by our history, rather than unifying ourselves as Americans. /rant

I think too much time is spent concentrating on differences, particularly in the media. When people are told they are separate, then it tends to create real divisions. But I look at immigrants like Elon Musk or Sergey Brin and see a better representation of the American ideal than most people who grew up here. I look down the street at the guys who run the laundry mat, coffee truck, fruit market, take out restaurant... and I see immigrants living the American dream.

To the original question: Yes. Nissan's headquarters are in Japan. They are led from Japan. Their guidance and decisionmaking originate in Japan. And, in fact, "the Japanese way" of doing things defines a lot of what makes Nissan Nissan from a business perspective (for better or worse) even in the decades following the merger with French Renault.

Although it is clear there are still cultural influences, if you spend some time in Japan and talk to people there about it, many of them see it differently. If anything, Nissan is seen as the prime example of westernization of a Japanese business (for better or worse). The traditional supplier arrangement and lifetime employment ended. Outsourcing and localization of operations overseas happened at an accelerated rate. Executives were no longer Japanese and no longer selected based on seniority at the company. In some ways Nissan is a bit of a melting pot, where a wide range of ideas are adopted originating from a broad range of cultures. Individualism started playing a big role, with concentration on the vision of the company's leader, and compensation for that leader that dwarfs his Japanese peers...

No, no, no! It's not NATIONAL origin. It's CULTURAL origin. And that is a HUGE distinction. It's wonderful to talk about looking forward and unity, but to ignore HOW YOU CAME TO BE is foolish. Culture is one of the key defining traits of Humanity. Culture can sometimes have roots in nationality, but generally the opposite is true, and the former is never confined to the latter.

We are who we are, who we make ourselves, who our forebears helped make us, and all of that was true before nations and will remain true after nations.

I have a bit of a different perspective on that. Despite growing up in the Midwest, I have now lived the largest chunk of my life in NYC, where I am exposed to a wide array of cultures. I worked for international companies, with clients all over the world and coworkers from all over the world. And I travel frequently. In many ways, the town I grew up in is more foreign to me than many “foreign” countries.

Realistically, adherence to the traditional culture of your genetic predecessors is a bit limiting. When taken to the extreme, it has led to some if the biggest problems in the world (Taliban, Ayatollah, etc.). Who I am is more the result of the world of cultural influences I live in than it is the culture of my ancestors. The world has gotten smaller and the boundaries that separate cultures have largely fallen. It is good to be aware of your cultural heritage, if only to realize its shortcomings. But Rome rose on the adoption of culture, technology and philosophy from Greece, Phoenicia, Egypt, Persia.... people similarly become stronger and smarter the more cultural influences they are exposed to.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Although it is clear there are still cultural influences, if you spend some time in Japan and talk to people there about it, many of them see it differently. If anything, Nissan is seen as the prime example of westernization of a Japanese business (for better or worse). The traditional supplier arrangement and lifetime employment ended. Outsourcing and localization of operations overseas happened at an accelerated rate. Executives were no longer Japanese and no longer selected based on seniority at the company. In some ways Nissan is a bit of a melting pot, where a wide range of ideas are adopted originating from a broad range of cultures. Individualism started playing a big role, with concentration on the vision of the company's leader, and compensation for that leader that dwarfs his Japanese peers...

Great point. Interestingly, I've heard it noted both ways in regards to executives and seniority. Depending on what you read or with whom you speak, you hear talk of either good forward progress or stagnation in the old ways of Japanese aristocracy. But I think you're right about individualism, importance of the leader, and the melting pot.
I hadn't really thought about the "vision of the leader" aspect (despite having studied Ghosn's career at length), but now that you point it out, I think that's one of the most critical pieces. I happen to have a less-than-sterling opinion of Ghosn's "vision" but its achievements are undeniable. I also find myself in a place personally where I can relate to the strength of a company that is led by someone with powerful, clearly-defined vision (my own employer)--which makes me wonder how I didn't see that aspect of Nissan before now.

Realistically, adherence to the traditional culture of your genetic predecessors is a bit limiting. When taken to the extreme, it has led to some if the biggest problems in the world (Taliban, Ayatollah, etc.).

Absolutely. However, awareness of a thing is entirely different from enslavement to a thing. Having an eye on the hows and whys of the past is critical; what we study we can learn from. Blind devotion to those same ideals is a different matter. As in all things: fear of a thing in its entirety due to the possibilities at the extreme is a dangerous overcaution. Temperament is everything.

[Jesda]

I love that my Cadillacs were all built in Detroit.
I also hate that my Cadillacs were all built in Detroit.