Are Toyota and Nissan Owned By The Same Company? (Quick Facts)

Toyota and Nissan are both two popular Japanese car brands that produce a wide variety of automobile vehicles. Because of that, many people often lump them together, assuming that they are somehow connected.

Many motor companies own others, either merging together or acquiring one another. So, it’s not strange to assume that Toyota might own Nissan or vice versa, especially if you’re not very familiar with automotive corporations and their dealings.

But is there any truth to it? Are Toyota and Nissan owned by the same company?

Are Toyota and Nissan Owned By The Same Company?

The same company doesn’t own Toyota and Nissan. In fact, Toyota isn’t owned by any corporation but by stakeholders. On the other hand, Nissan has a parent company – Groupe Renault. Sometimes, people confuse these two brands as being the same or owned by one another because they compete together on the market and are both Japanese. But they are definitely not owned by the same company.

Who owns Toyota?

Toyota logo

Unlike Nissan, Toyota isn’t owned by any single company. Instead, it’s held in shares, which shareholders own. This gives them the power to have a say in the company’s future and other ventures that it might go into.

If we look further into the company’s history, Toyota was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937. Currently, Toyota produces about 10 million vehicles per year, and it still continues to grow.

Since Toyota is considered to be a parent company, it actually owns several other companies. These include Daihatsu, Hino, and Lexus. It also holds shares in several other companies, such as Panasonic, Yamaha Motor Corporation, and Isuzu.

Because of that, Toyota produces or contributes to producing, several other products besides automobile vehicles.

For example, Toyota manufactures engines, car air-conditioning compressors, car electronics components, and devices, stamping dies, and even completely different products like sewing machines.

Who owns Nissan?

Nissan logo

Nissan, also called Nissan Motor Corporation, has been owned by Groupe Renault since 1999. After the partnership, Groupe Renault switched its name to Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance to include all newly-acquired corporations.

As part of Groupe Renault, Nissan holds a 15% non-voting stake in Renault, while Renault holds a 43.4% voting stake in Nissan. On the other hand, Nissan has held a 34% controlling stake in Mitsubishi Motors since 2013.

Originally, Nissan was founded in 1933 under the name Nissan Group and has since undergone several name changes, including the one after being acquired by Groupe Renault.

As opposed to Toyota, Nissan has never produced anything else besides automobile vehicles, and the same goes for its parent corporation Groupe Renault.

Has Toyota ever owned Nissan?

Toyota Prius
Toyota Prius

Even though it may seem like it, Toyota has never owned Nissan. 

Once, Nissan has been its own company, but now it is a member of Groupe Renault or the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.

On the other hand, Toyota has never been owned by another corporation. Instead, it’s owned in stakes, which various people own. That way, many people have control over the company as opposed to it being just one large corporation.

So, even though both Nissan and Toyota are popular Japanese automotive companies, they have never been a part of the same corporation. 

Do Toyota and Nissan produce the same types of cars?

Nissan car in service garage

Both Toyota and Nissan produce similar types of cars, but they differ in the range they offer.

For instance, Toyota has manufactured sedans, station wagons, SUVs, crossovers, minivans, vans, pickup trucks, sports cars, heavy commercial vehicles, Kei cars, and taxis.

Some of the most popular Toyota models include Corolla, Yaris, RAV4, Camry, and Highlander. This selection includes passenger vehicles, trucks, SUVs, and crossovers.

Nissan produces similar types of vehicles, including sedans, SUVs, crossovers, MPVs, Kei cars, pickup trucks, vans, and sports cars.

The most well-known Nissan models include Sentra, Altima, Versa, Murano, and Leaf. 

In addition, both Nissan and Toyota are working on producing more electric cars and hybrids. This is both motivated by being more conscious of the environment as well as the demand for these types of cars on the market.

In fact, most automotive companies produce electric cars these days, so the production isn’t just limited to Teslas.

Is Toyota or Nissan better?

Both Nissan and Toyota come with various perks and are recognized as very good automobile manufacturers.

With that said, Nissan produces more reliable sports cars and innovative SUVs. In contrast to that, Toyota offers an all-around range of vehicles, from sedans to compact cars to trucks. So, Toyota might have a broader spectrum of vehicle choices than Nissan. 

What’s more, Toyota has long been producing extremely reliable and lasting cars, which gives them an edge in the competition with Nissan. But Nissan cars are not far behind.

So, at the end of the day, it all depends on the requirements you have for your car.

Has Nissan ever been owned by Ford?

Before being acquired by Groupe Renault, Nissan was a company on its own. So, it hasn’t been owned by anyone else besides that, and this includes Ford.

In the same way, Nissan has never been owned by any other company like Tata Group, General Motors, or Volkswagen.

Do Toyota and Nissan have any common ventures?

Car industry

While both Toyota and Nissan share similarities, like being Japanese and producing similar automobile vehicles, they don’t currently work on anything together.

With that said, Toyota and Nissan have both been working on hybrid technologies together back in 2002, before Nissan was acquired by Groupe Renault. Unfortunately, this partnership didn’t amount to much at that time.

Still, both brands work towards manufacturing and selling more fuel-efficient and electric cars.

Conclusion

The same company doesn’t own Toyota and Nissan. Toyota is a standalone corporation, while Nissan is owned by Group Renault. In fact, Toyota and Nissan have never been linked or owned by the same company.

Still, both companies share some similarities. For example, they are both Japanese, sell similar automobile vehicles, and are extremely popular around the globe.

Sources: Nissan Motor Corporation, Groupe Renault, Toyota, and Consumer Reports

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