'Dats off' - A Brief History of Datsun

The Datsun 240Z was widely regarded as Japan's answer to the E-Type Jaguar

It's a shame really that when I think of Datsun I think of models such as the Cherry and Sunny, cars that were known for being reliable but unashamedly dull. It doesn't take long to remember the exception, the Datsun 240Z. This great looking and spirited coupe transformed the image of the Japanese marque, even though the magic was somewhat shortlived.
I decided to do a little bit of research on the company as like many people of my age, I was really only aware of Datsun giving way to Nissan in the 80's and its more recent rise from the ashes.
The name stems from the Japanese DAT Motorcar Company which started out as an independent car manufacturer in its own right. DAT decided to launch a smaller model and came to the conclusion that 'Datson' would be an ideal name for their new entry level car - the reason being that 'son' would indicate the smaller size. In 1933, fellow Japanese car maker Nissan bought the DAT Motorcar Company and renamed the marque Datsun. The reasoning behind altering 'son' to 'sun' was due to the Japanese language - 'son' means 'loss' in Japanese, not a good omen for success and prosperity. The sun is also depicted on the Japanese national flag so Datsun was believed to be the most sensible name for the new marque.
Later Datsun began importing cars into Britain and Europe. It's not hard to understand why the Japanese car industry was growing in the 1970's, especially in Britain. Although brands like Datsun often had a bit of an image problem, owners could be assured of total reliability and decent value, something that couldn't be said for cars made by British Leyland. (It's interesting to point out that in the UK, it wasn't Toyota, Datsun or Honda that introduced the first Japanese car to British consumers, it was Daihatsu. Now due to slow sales and the Yen/Sterling/Euro exchange rates, Daihatsu has completely withdrawn from the UK and European markets).
By the late 1970's, Nissan was concerned that its name wasn't well enough established compared to rivals Honda and Toyota and so decided on a plan to phase out the Datsun brand entirely. By 1986, the marque was consigned to the history books with all products sporting the Nissan badge. The strength of Nissan at this time was evident, particularly in the UK. Production of the Bluebird saloon commenced at the company's new plant in Sunderland. Nowadays this factory is thriving, producing popular models such as the Juke and Qashqai. It's often credited as being one of the most efficient car factories in the business.
Fast forward to 2013 and the Renault-Nissan Alliance decided to revive the Datsun brand. CEO Carlos Ghosn announced to the world that Datsun would become a budget brand for emerging economies and would focus on the Indian, Russian and Indonesian markets. The models would be built in Asia in order to keep production costs down and would focus on Datsun's key strengths of value and reliability. Ghosn pointed out that Datsun consumers could move up through the ranks to buy Nissan models allowing them to remain loyal to the brand as personal incomes grew.
There's plenty of similarities to how Renault revived Dacia. Dacia has been a huge success for the French firm and the wider Renault-Nissan Alliance. In fact at times, Dacia has sold more models in selected European markets than its owner. Datsun will look to follow in Dacia's footsteps by offering affordable vehicles for certain markets using tried and tested components from its owner's parts bin.
Datsun models, like those from Dacia, will hold a strong appeal to those who want to buy into a brand that sells affordable cars that are reliable, clean, safe and just do exactly what they say on the tin.
So far there's been controversy...
Datsun's Indian built Go supermini scored zero stars in Global NCAP crash tests. The model was said to have collapsed during the test. The world safety organisation called Nissan to withdraw the model from sale. (It's only fair to point out that Nissan hasn't been the only carmaker to have been accused of skimping on safety to increase profit margins. GM have also been in a similar boat with the Mexican market Chevrolet Aveo).
Either way Datsun is back on the road. It's just unfortunate that cars like the 240Z aren't on the horizon anytime soon. After all, market priorities change.
So what do you think?... Does anyone out there have fond memories of Datsun? If so, which ones?...