Classic: 1952 Nissan Co-Operation with Austin

Press Release

1953 A40 Somerset Saloon

The postwar restrictions on the manufacture of passenger cars were completely lifted in October of 1949. There had been just four years of interruption, but it had been a severe hardship for Japan’s auto industry. At that time some people voiced the foolhardy opinion that "Cars can always be imported from America," but the government was thinking of the future when it decided to foster the domestic auto industry, encouraging technical tie-ups with foreign manufacturers.

It was thus that Nissan Motor signed an agreement for technical cooperation with the UK manufacturer Austin in 1952. In April 1953, the knockdown production of the A40 Somerset Saloon was started. The reason why Austin had been chosen as a partner is that at the time no other company exported more cars to the US market.

The agreement stipulated that (1) annually 2,000 units of the A40 would be imported and assembled; (2) the components would be increasingly sourced from within Japan; and (3) Austin would provide all necessary technical support both for the assembly and for the shift toward domestic production.

In December 1954, because of Austin’s model change in the UK, Nissan too shifted to assembly of the A50. Good progress was made with the local sourcing of components, and in fact the 100% "Made in Japan" point was reached in August 1956, earlier than scheduled. The production technologies acquired as a result of this tie-up contributed greatly to the later development of the Cedric (1960).

1953 A40 Somerset Saloon

In 1952, Nissan and Austin, the UK auto manufacturer, agreed on a tie-up and in April of the following year, knockdown production of the A40 Somerset Saloon was started. On April 4, the first vehicle came off the line at the Tsurumi Austin factory and on May 8, a commemorative launch event was held in the city, with guests including the Trade and Industry Minister and the UK Ambassador. From the start of production, domestically produced tires, batteries and flat glass were used.

Austin A50 Cambridge Saloon

When Austin carried out a model change in England (September 1954), Nissan followed suit and switched to the A50 in December that year. Even during A40 production, the shift to domestic sourcing had advanced and so by August 1956 all of the parts were made in Japan. This model represents the final version, which went on sale in December 1958. Manufactured on December 28, 1959, it was the final car off the production line.

The navy blue A50 is the actual vehicle used by Prince Takamatsu. Making use of the technologies obtained through collaboration with the Austin company, Nissan manufactured the A50 from December 1954. It was at first a 5-seater with a 50hp engine, but the later 1957 version (launched in July) was a 6-seater. In December 1958, the final version was launched with a 57hp engine (+7hp), offering improved comfort and better rear visibility.