Nissan Sunny
The Nissan Sunny is an automobile built by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1966 until 2004. In the early 1980s, the brand changed from Datsun to Nissan in line with other models by the company. Although production of the Sunny in Japan ended in 2004, the name remains in use in China and GCC countries for a rebadged version of the Nissan Almera.
In North America, the later models were known as the Nissan Sentra; in Mexico, the Sunny is known as the Nissan Tsuru, which is Japanese for the bird species "crane". The latest versions of the Sunny were larger than the early models, and may be considered compact cars. Earlier versions were subcompact cars. All Sunnys through the 1982 model year used Nissan A engine motors. It was designed to compete with the Toyota Corolla.
The "Sunny" name has been used on other Nissan models, notably various export versions of the Nissan Pulsar model line. The Sunny has been imported and later manufactured worldwide under numerous names, and body styles, in economical, luxury and performance packages. Some configurations appear to be unique based on bodystyle appearances, but sharing a common platform. The Sunny was sold in Japan at a dedicated dealership sales channel called Nissan Satio Store, and rebadged versions later appeared at the other Japanese networks.
First generation (B10; 1966)
The first Datsun Sunny, exported as the Datsun 1000, was launched in September 1966 with two body styles, a two-door sedan and a van/station wagon. The Sunny was an all-new product built on a dedicated platform called the "B" series that benefited from Nissan's production of small cars since before the war and combined engineering efforts from newly acquired Aichi Manufacturing that met the goals set by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry "national car" program. These were available in both a "Standard" and "Deluxe" version, featuring drum brakes, conventional leaf springs at the rear and wishbone type independent front end. The front end used a single transverse leaf spring. In Japan the car was sold at a dealership sales channel established just for the Sunny, called Nissan Satio Store. The Sunny was introduced in the same year as the Toyota Corolla and Subaru 1000.In December 1965, Nissan held a national campaign in Japan to name its newest product in a mail-in ballot, and after receiving over eight million submissions, the name Sunny was chosen after having been suggested 3,105 times and was announced on 19 February 1966 by Yoshisuke Ayukawa, Nissan Motors founder.
The car featured a four-cylinder in-line engine, the A10, with a total displacement of 988 cc and a four-speed gearbox. The 1968 model, introduced in October 1967, added to the lineup the four-door sedan in both DeLuxe and Standard form. February 1968 saw the release of the new coupé. Marketed as the "Sunny Coupé" in Japan, it was available in a wide variety of levels from "Standard", to "GL". The range of factory options and accessories was by this time vast. Total horsepower in the initial model was claimed to be at 6,000 rpm. The engine displacement was kept below 1.0-litre to keep it in the lowest Japanese road tax bracket and encourage sales.
It introduced a new approach for Nissan in the 1960s where all mainstream products shared a similar appearance, as demonstrated in the larger Nissan President and Nissan Bluebird.
The only other country that seems to have received the coupé is Australia, where it was marketed as the "Datsun 1000 Coupé". It was well equipped, and was available only in the Deluxe level of trim. The Australian Deluxe model came standard with many inclusions that were available only as options in the Japanese model. The engine in the coupé had higher compression, a different Hitachi carburettor, and a dual outlet exhaust manifold. These changes increased its power output to ; a or 6.5 percent increase over the lesser models. Unlike the sedans and wagons, the coupé was only ever made in right drive.
July 1969 saw the release of the slightly different 1970 model year, which left the 1969 model year run at only nine months. No additional models were added, and production ceased in December 1969, cutting the 1970 model year run at only six months.
B20 series (Sunny Truck)
The Datsun Sunny truck debuted in February 1967 and was the light commercial truck variation of the B10 passenger models. It was based on the VB10 van chassis, and is a body style which is sometimes referred to as a "coupé utility", as the bed is not separate from the passenger area. The introduction of a pickup truck based on the Sunny gave Nissan Saito Store and Nissan Cherry Store Japanese dealerships the opportunity to sell a commercial vehicle that was originally only offered at Nissan Store. The 520 series Datsun Truck shared its platform with the Datsun Bluebird, plus the larger Nissan Junior sharing an engine with the Nissan Cedric; Nissan decided to duplicate the success it had with a Bluebird-based pickup truck for the new Sunny platform. The Sunny was engineered by newly acquired Aichi Machine Industry Co., Ltd., and gave the new acquisition the ability to demonstrate their profitability to their new Nissan owners. The Sunny truck dimensions were in compliance with Japanese Government dimension regulations and the small displacement engines reduced the annual road tax obligation. The B20 used the same wheelbase and running gear as does the Datsun Sunny VB10 van, and shared its dimensions.Second generation (B110; 1970)
The second-generation Nissan Sunny was launched in January 1970 and was known as the Datsun 1200 in export markets. This new model was slightly larger in all dimensions to match its market rival, the equally popular Toyota Corolla. The two companies continued a game of one-upmanship which had started when Toyota gave the Corolla an 1,100 cc engine and prominently featured the additional displacement over its Sunny rival. Predictably, Nissan responded by giving the second generation Sunny a 1,200 cc engine and a somewhat controversial marketing campaign with the theme "the car next to me looks small."The Datsun 1200 featured MacPherson strut front suspension with optional disc brakes and an economical 1.2-litre A12-series engine, an enlarged version of the A10 used in the B10-series Sunny. A five-door station wagon was added to the Sunny range in addition to the three-door wagon. In April 1970 a GX trim with twin-carburetor engine was added for the Japanese market. In January 1972 a minor facelift occurred in the Japanese market with a new hood, grille and other small modifications and equipment fitting. In August 1972 the GX-5 model was added in Japan, which improved on the GX by fitting a direct-fifth five-speed manual transmission. The Sunny Coupé 1200GX was offered as an alternative to the Toyota Corolla Levin and Toyota Sprinter Trueno, which were performance package trim levels on the more economical Corolla and Sprinter models. For the 1973 model year, US models were re-specified with energy-absorbing bumpers, fire-resistant interiors and other government-mandated safety items.
The B110 made its racing debut at the Fuji 200-mile race on 23 November 1970 in the TS1300 class, a class dominated by the Toyota Corolla; only one works Nissan challenged Toyota yielding a victory for driver Makoto Suzuki.
In Australia and New Zealand, the Datsun 1200 was highly regarded for its effectiveness as a rally car. The Datsun 1600 generally rated highest among entry-level Datsuns, and the 1200 a close second. The 1200 also took road racing victories, such as winning Class A at the 1970 Bathurst 500.
In South Africa, the B110 was sold through 1976. A pick up derivative, featuring a 1400 cc engine, was sold until 2008 when emissions laws forced the end of its production. Over 275,000 were sold to customers who appreciated the rugged rear-wheel-drive design.
In New Zealand, a special edition Datsun 1200 SSS four-door sedan with twin side-draft Dell'Orto 40 mm carburetors, different camshaft, 5-slot aluminium wheels and cosmetic changes in both exterior and interior, it was assembled and marketed locally, about 800 were made. The 1200 was popular in New Zealand, where it was contract-assembled at a two factories. A small number of Deluxe sedans and more numerous coupes were imported from Japan. The car remained in NZ production well into 1974 as Nissan NZ was unsure how the public would react to the oddly styled 120Y successor.
Europe
In the UK the Datsun 1200 was the first Japanese car to sell in large numbers, being the company's best seller there when its sales soared from just over 6,000 cars in 1971 to more than 30,000 a year later. The 120Y model, launched there in the autumn of 1973, helped take the brand from strength to strength, as did the smaller Cherry models. It was well equipped for its price with disc brakes and reclining front seats. This model established Datsun as the top Japanese exporter of cars to the United Kingdom.In Portugal, Entreposto Comercial assembled the 1200 locally from 1972 until 1974. It was very successful in the Portuguese market, and dominated the local racing and rally scene. The 1200 was so popular in competition that a single-car racing series, the Troféu Datsun 1200, was instituted and ran for several years. To capitalize on its competition success, a sporty Datsun 1200 S1 two-door sedan was also derived by Nissan's local affiliate. The S1 made use of the free-flow exhaust from the Troféu cars, a modified camshaft, increased compression ratio, modified valves with double springs, polished cylinder head and manifold headers, and double carburetors. Power increased from the of the standard car to. Cosmetically, it received side stripes, wider wheels and tires, a sports steering wheel by De Moura, and a centre console with additional instrumentation.