The Nissan Atlas ( ja, 日産・アトラス) is a series of
pickup trucks and
light commercial vehicles manufactured by
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
. It is built by
UD Trucks
UD Trucks Corporation (UDトラックス株式会社, ''UD Torakkusu Kabushikigaisha'') is a Japanese company whose principal business is the manufacturing and sales of diesel trucks, buses, bus chassis and special-purpose vehicles. Its headquarte ...
for the Japanese market, and by the
Renault-Nissan Alliance for the European market. The lighter range vehicles, weighing from 1 to 1.5 tons, replaced the earlier
Cabstar and
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
(F20), while the heavier
Caball and
Clipper
A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "C ...
(C340) were replaced by the 2-to-4 ton range Atlas. The Atlas nameplate was first introduced in December 1981, available at ''
Nissan Bluebird Store'' locations.
The Atlas is known also as the Nissan Cabstar, Renault Maxity, Samsung SV110/Yamuzin and Ashok Leyland Partner depending on the location. The range has been sold around the world.
F22/H40
Japan
Manufacturing of the heavier range (H40-series) began in December 1981, while the lighter series Atlas (F22) was introduced in February 1982.
The first generation Atlas was available with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines: The
Z16 and
Z20 (as well as the LPG-powered Z20D) were petrol units, while diesels included the
TD23,
TD27,
ED33,
FD35, and the
turbodiesel
The term turbo-diesel, also written as turbodiesel and turbo diesel, refers to any diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger. As with other engine types, turbocharging a diesel engine can significantly increase its efficiency and power output ...
FD35T.
Europe
The Atlas F22 was sold in Europe as the Nissan Cabstar and proved a popular truck in the UK market due to its reliability and ability to carry weight. The F22 Cabstar was available in the British market with the 1,952 cc
Z20S OHC petrol engine. From 1990 the range widened and was sold as the Cabstar E. In Taiwan, the F22 continued to be sold as the "Yue Loong Homer".
It was also used as recreational truck (motorhome conversions). It proved to be serious competition for the dated
Bedford CF
The Bedford CF was a range of full-size panel vans produced by Bedford. The van was introduced in 1969 to replace the CA model, and was sized to compete directly with the Ford Transit, which had entered production four years earlier. Its desi ...
and
Ford Transit which were its main competitors. The trucks popularity in the African market saw vast majority of the remaining early UK F22 models being exported to Africa.
Australia
Australia was another important market for the Atlas, where it took over after the previous
Nissan Caball The Nissan Caball is a light commercial truck manufactured by Nissan Motors from December 1957 until December 1981. The Caball was mainly sold in Japan, Hong Kong, South East Asian countries, Australia, New Zealand, and few European countries and ...
which was sold there from 1970 to 1981. It was later marketed as the Nissan Cabstar (1984–1992). It was built in Australia using many local components.
F23/H41
The F23 was launched in 1992 with the heavy duty H41 launched in 1991. The H42 followed in 1995.
North America
The UD 1400 was similar to the Atlas F23 featuring a 4.7 L turbo diesel 175 hp and was available until 2010.
South Africa
The Atlas F23 is sold as the UD 35 and UD 40 Series and features a 4.2 L 6-cylinder turbo diesel engine producing 87 kW
South Korea
In South Korea, the locally built version was launched in 1998 as Samsung SV110. It later changed its name to Yamuzin (Hangul:야무진). South Korean truck drivers, however, expect to be able to overload their vehicles, which the Atlas could not handle very well. Unlike the
Hyundai Porter
The Hyundai Porter (Hangul:현대 포터), also known as the Hyundai H-100, is a cabover truck produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai since 1977.
History First generation (1977–1981)
The first generation, launched in January ...
and
Kia Bongo
The Kia Bongo (Hangul:기아 봉고), also known as the Kia K-Series or Kia Besta, is a cabover pickup truck and van produced by the South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia since 1980.
The Bongo was first launched in 1980 under the name ''Bon ...
, the Yamuzin's cargo space can't hold the overload. In 2000 Samsung commercial vehicles discontinued their lineup due to bankruptcy.
H42
The H42 (or UD20/30/35) was a rebadged
Isuzu Elf
The is a medium duty truck produced by Isuzu since 1959. Outside Japan it is known as N series and Q Series. The range was originally mainly available in Japan and other Asian countries. Australia was another important market for the Elf and ...
truck sold from 1995 through 2007.
F24/H43
Japan
The Atlas is available in two versions: the F24 and H43. The F24 is known as the Atlas 10 and is available with a 2.0 L petrol and 3.0 L turbo diesel engines with a range of payloads from 1.15 to 2 tons and was launched in June 2007. The H43 Atlas 20 (January 2007) comes in a wide range of versions with a choice of 3.0 L or 5.2 L diesel and a payload from 1.65 to 4.5 tons in rear wheel drive and four wheel drive options. The H43 is also marketed as the UD Condor (light-duty). The H43 is a rebadged
Isuzu Elf
The is a medium duty truck produced by Isuzu since 1959. Outside Japan it is known as N series and Q Series. The range was originally mainly available in Japan and other Asian countries. Australia was another important market for the Elf and ...
.
From January 2011, production of the F24 transferred from UD to
Nissan Shatai
Nissan Shatai Co., Ltd. is a Japanese automobile contract manufacturer for Nissan that is headquartered in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa. Its direct history began in 1949. , Nissan owns 45.8% of the company stock.
It has offices around Japan and assembl ...
.
China
The Dongfeng Captain N300 was publicly released in 2011, which uses a Nissan ZD30 engine.
India
The F24 is also marketed in India as of 2014 as the Ashok Leyland Partner (used for the Civilian variants) and the Ashok Leyland Garuda (used for the Military variants).
Europe
Since 2007 the Atlas F24 continued to be sold as the Nissan Cabstar, replacing the F23 in Europe. Built on the same Spanish
Renault-Nissan Alliance production line as the
Renault Maxity
The Renault Maxity is a light commercial vehicle with a cab-over-engine style truck launched by the French manufacturer Renault Trucks
Renault Trucks is a French commercial truck manufacturer with corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near ...
, the Cabstar uses the same Nissan YD25DDTi 2.5 L Turbo diesel engine in a choice of 110 hp or 130 hp versions and a Nissan ZD30DDTi 3.0 Turbo Diesel engine producing 150 hp.
North America
UD Trucks did not import the new F24 to the United States but in 2008 exports to Mexico from the new San Yi, Taiwan factory commenced, using the Nissan Cabstar name.
Automotive World 16 January 2008
/ref>
Malaysia
The F24 is marketed in Malaysia as Nissan Atlas by Combine Motor Sdn Bhd in 2016, Nissan Atlas is available in two variants, single cab and double cab. All are fully imported from Japan.
H44
The NT450 Atlas remained supplied by OEM manufacturers, but the basis was changed from the Isuzu Elf
The is a medium duty truck produced by Isuzu since 1959. Outside Japan it is known as N series and Q Series. The range was originally mainly available in Japan and other Asian countries. Australia was another important market for the Elf and ...
to the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter
The is a line of light-duty commercial vehicles manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, part of Daimler Truck, subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group. The Canter is manufactured since 1963, now in its eighth generation. The Can ...
for this generation.
References
External links
*Nissan Atlas Homepage
Atlas 10
Atlas 20
*Safety Recalls for Nissan Atlas
Japanese Imports
Nissan Atlas on Nissan Thailand
{{Modern European Nissan vehicles
Pickup trucks
Cab over vehicles
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geograp ...
Volvo Trucks