Nissan Model History

Japan · founded 1933

Japanese automaker founded in 1933 — sold in the US under the Datsun brand until the early 1980s, and maker of the iconic Z sports car, the GT-R, and the Leaf EV.

Nissan Z Z31 Fairlady Z 200ZR T-bar roof

Photo: “File:Nissan E-PZ31 Fairlady Z 2 SEATER 200ZR-Ⅱ - Nissan E-PZ31 Fairlady Z 2SEATER 200ZR-Ⅱ T-BAR ROOF (23100110462).jpg” by 先従隗始 / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0

Models

Z

Nissan's iconic sports-car lineage — from the 1970 Datsun 240Z through the 300ZX, 350Z, and 370Z to today's Z.

Sports car · 1970–present
57 model years
GT-R

Nissan's AWD twin-turbo supercar — the first GT-R sold globally as a standalone model, nicknamed 'Godzilla'.

Sports car · 2009–present
Skyline GT-R

The legendary JDM Skyline GT-R (R32/R33/R34) — never sold new in the US, but a grey-import icon.

Sports car · 1989–2002
240SX

The US-market rear-drive coupe/fastback (S13/S14) — counterpart to the JDM Silvia/180SX and a drifting favorite.

Sports car · 1989–1998
Silvia

The JDM rear-drive sport coupe (S-platform) — never sold in the US under this name; the 240SX was its US sibling.

Sports car · 1965–2002
Altima

Nissan's mid-size family sedan and one of its US best-sellers, offered for years with an available V6.

Mid-size car · 1993–present
Maxima

Nissan's V6-powered flagship sedan, long marketed as the '4-Door Sports Car'.

Full-size car · 1981–2023
Sentra

Nissan's long-running compact sedan, including the sporty SE-R performance versions.

Compact car · 1982–present
Versa

Nissan's entry-level subcompact, frequently among the lowest-priced new cars in the US.

Subcompact car · 2007–present
Cube

A boxy, asymmetric-windowed subcompact with quirky styling, sold in the US for a few years.

Subcompact car · 2009–2014
Stanza

Nissan's compact-to-mid-size sedan of the 1980s, the predecessor to the Altima.

Compact car · 1982–1992
Pulsar

A small sporty compact of the 1980s, best known in the US for the NX with removable Sportbak roof panels.

Compact car · 1983–1990
NX

A small front-drive sport coupe of the early 1990s, offered as the NX1600 and the SR20DE-powered NX2000.

Sports car · 1991–1993
Rogue

Nissan's compact crossover and best-selling US model, a Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 rival.

Compact SUV · 2008–present
Murano

Nissan's style-focused two-row mid-size crossover, an early adopter of the CVT.

Mid-size SUV · 2003–present
Pathfinder

Nissan's three-row mid-size SUV — a rugged body-on-frame original, later a unibody family crossover.

Mid-size SUV · 1986–present
Xterra

A rugged, body-on-frame, off-road-focused SUV with a cult following.

Mid-size SUV · 2000–2015
Juke

A polarizing, sporty subcompact crossover, including the wild high-performance Juke NISMO.

Subcompact SUV · 2011–2017
Kicks

Nissan's affordable subcompact crossover, successor in spirit to the Juke in the US.

Subcompact SUV · 2018–present
Ariya

Nissan's modern battery-electric crossover, a higher-tech follow-up to the pioneering Leaf.

Electric SUV · 2023–present
Frontier

Nissan's mid-size pickup, successor to the Hardbody, known for an exceptionally long single generation.

Mid-size pickup truck · 1998–present
Titan

Nissan's full-size pickup, including the heavy-duty Titan XD, taking on the domestic truck giants.

Full-size pickup truck · 2004–2024
Armada

Nissan's full-size, body-on-frame, V8-powered three-row SUV, related to the Titan and global Patrol.

Full-size SUV · 2004–present
Quest

Nissan's minivan, sold across several generations — early ones co-developed with Ford (the Mercury Villager).

Minivan · 1993–2017
Leaf

One of the first mass-market electric cars — the world's best-selling EV for much of the 2010s.

Electric car · 2011–present

Other makes

Nissan Model History

Models

Z

GT-R

Skyline GT-R

240SX

Silvia

Altima

Maxima

Sentra

Versa

Cube

Stanza

Pulsar

NX

Rogue

Murano

Pathfinder

Xterra

Juke

Kicks

Ariya

Frontier

Titan

Armada

Quest

Leaf