The Prince Motor Company (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: ) was an automobile marque from Japan which eventually merged into Nissan in 1966. It began as the Tachikawa Aircraft Company, a manufacturer of various airplanes for the Japanese Army in World War II, e.g., the Ki-36, Ki-55 and Ki-74. Tachikawa Aircraft Company was dissolved after the war and the company took the name Fuji Precision Industries. It diversified into

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

s, producing an electric car, the Tama, in 1946, named for the region the company originated in, Tama, using the Ohta series PC/PD platform. The company changed its name to Prince in 1952 to honor Akihito's formal investiture as Crown Prince of the nation. In 1954 they changed their name back to Fuji Precision Industries, and in 1961 changed the name back again to Prince Motor Company. In 1966, they became part of Nissan, while the Prince

organization An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences), is an legal entity, entity—such as ...

remained in existence inside Nissan, as '' Nissan Prince Store'' in Japan until Nissan consolidated the Prince dealership network into "Nissan Blue Stage" in 1999.

Products

Prince had success building luxury automobiles. Among its most famous car lines were the

Skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skyline ...

and Gloria, both of which were absorbed into the Nissan range and continued after their 1966 merger; however, Prince also built the 15-passenger Homy which was eventually shared with the

Nissan Caravan The Nissan Caravan is a light commercial van designed for use as a fleet vehicle or cargo van and manufactured by Nissan since 1973. Between 1976 and 1997, a rebadged version of the Caravan sold as the Nissan Homy, which was introduced as an i ...

and the

Nissan Laurel The Nissan Laurel is a front-engine, rear-drive two- and four-door sedan manufactured and marketed by Nissan from 1969 to 2002. Introduced in 1968 as a new model positioned above the 1968 Datsun Bluebird 510, the Laurel offered the luxury of the ...

, a four-door sedan platform mate with the Skyline, on which Prince had begun development before the merger but was introduced after the merger in 1968. Prince had also begun development on a small car to compete with the Toyota Corolla and

Nissan Sunny The is an automobile built by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1966 to 2006. 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 2006, the na ...

, but after the merger, the car was introduced as the

Nissan Cherry The Datsun Cherry (チェリー), known later as the Nissan Cherry, was a series of subcompact cars which formed Nissan's first front-wheel drive supermini model line. The Cherry featured the front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. The Cherry li ...

using

front wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...

. The former

Nissan Gloria The Gloria ( ja, 日産・グロリア) is a large luxury car made from 1959 by the Prince Motor Company, and later by Nissan Motors since its merger with the former - hence being originally marketed as Prince Gloria and later as Nissan Gloria. ...

and the

Nissan Skyline The is a brand of automobile originally produced by the Prince Motor Company starting in 1957, and then by Nissan after the two companies merged in 1967. After the merger, the Skyline and its larger counterpart, the Nissan Gloria, were sold i ...

are known in the USA as the Infiniti M (2003 - 2004) and the

Infiniti G The Infiniti G Line is a series of compact executive cars produced by Infiniti, a luxury division of Nissan, for the 1991–1996 and 1999–2016 model years. The first two generations of the Infiniti G (P10 and P11) were sedans based on the Nis ...

(2003 - 2006). Tama-denki-jidosya01

Model designation system

Up to 1961, Prince used a four-letter model code for its vehicles. The first letter stood for the engine code (A was 1500 cc, B was 1900 cc), the second letter stood for the chassis model, the third letter stood for the body type (S for sedan, F for cabover truck, V for van, P for pickup truck and so on) and the fourth letter was the order of production. A fifth letter was sometimes added, and this was the model version (S for standard, D for deluxe). A number was added to the end to delineate revisions of the same model. This number was a Roman numeral until 1956, after which it was an Arabic numeral. From 1962, Prince switched to a alpha-numeric code, similar to what Nissan would eventually use.

History

The Prince Motor Company had two origins.KATSURAGI, Yoji "The Beam of the Light of the Prince Motor Company" Grand Prix Book Publishing Co., Ltd., October 22, 2003 (Japanese) 『「プリンス」荻窪の思い出 II』荻友会編私家版 1997年11月16日 "Prince - Memories of Ogikubo" Private press by Tekiyukai (former Prince engineers)Association, Nov. 16, 1997 (Japanese) 1966 Prince R380 01

Tachikawa Aircraft Company

*December 1946 - The electric car division of the Tachikawa Aircraft Company became independent and was activated as the

Fuchu Fuchu, King of Chu (), clan name Xiong, () was from 227 to 223 BC the last king of the state of Chu during the late Warring States period of ancient China (though sources argue that Lord Changping was the last king of Chu). Fuchu was his give ...

Plant of the Kosoku Kikan Kogyo Co., Ltd.. *June 30, 1947 - The Fuchu Plant of the Kosoku Kikan Kogyo Co., Ltd. became the Tokyo Electric Car Company. (Official foundation date of the Prince Motor Company.) *February 1949 - Shojiro Ishibashi invested in the Tokyo Electric Car Company and became the chairman. *November 30, 1949 - The Tokyo Electric Car Company changed its name to Tama Electric Car Company. *November 1951 - The Tama Electric Car Company changed its name to Tama Motor Company. *November 1952 - The Tama Motor Company changed its name to Prince Motor Company. *April 10, 1954 - The Prince Motor Company merged with its engine supplier Fuji Precision Industries. The new company was named Fuji Precision Industries and the name Prince Motor Company disappeared in the meantime.

Nakajima Aircraft Company

*August 16, 1945 - The

Nakajima Aircraft Company The was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru. History The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first aircraft manufactur ...

changed its name to Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd.. *November 6, 1945 - The GHQ defined Fuji Sangyo as the

Zaibatsu is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial vertically integrated business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period unt ...

and decided to disband them. *May 1950 - Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd. was disbanded. *July 1950 - Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd. was divided into twelve companies. Of them, the Tokyo Plant (located in

Suginami, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Suginami City in English. As of June 1, 2022, Suginami has an estimated population of 588,354 and a population density of 17,274 persons per km2. The total area is 34.06 km2 ...

) and the

Hamamatsu is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. the city had an estimated population of 791,707 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, and a population density of . The total area of the site was . Overview Ha ...

Plant became Fuji Precision Industries. *April 1951 - Shojiro Ishibashi became the chairman of Fuji Precision Industries. *April 10, 1954 - Fuji Precision Industries merged with its customer Prince Motor Company. The new company was named Fuji Precision Industries and the name Prince Motor Company disappeared in the meantime.

After Merger of Fuji/Prince Until Merger with Nissan

*February 1961 - Fuji Precision Industries changed its name to Prince Motor Company. (The name "Prince Motor Company" revived.) *1962 - Prince became the first Japanese car company to field a works team in a European rally, the Liège-Sofia-Liège. Neither of the two Skylines entered finished the rally, which had an 82 percent attrition rate. *May 1965 - Prince Motor Company announced the merger with

Nissan Motor Company , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...

. *August 1966 - Merged into Nissan Motor Company.

List of vehicles

Prince Sedan The Prince Sedan was a Japanese compact executive car made from 1952 until 1957 by the Tama Motor Company (renamed the Prince Motor Company in November 1952), which was one of the successors of the Tachikawa Aircraft Company. It was replaced by ...

(the first passenger car of Prince) *

Prince Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkin ...

(a luxury sedan & wagon) *

Prince Skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylines ...

(a performance coupe/sedan) **

Prince Skyway The Prince Skyway was a commercial delivery van and coupe utility produced by the Prince Motor Company from 1957 to 1967. It was based on the various Prince Skyline models of the period. In 1966, after the merger with Nissan, the V51A Skyway was ...

(a delivery van based on the Skyline) **

Prince Miler The Prince Miler is a medium-sized pickup truck built by the Prince Motor Company. It remained on the market for four years after the 1966 merger, when Prince dealerships became integrated within Nissan's organization as '' Nissan Prince Store''. B ...

(a pickup truck based on the Skyline) **

(a compact luxury sedan/coupe based on the Skyline) * Prince Homy (a cargo van/minibus) **

Prince Homer The Prince Homer was a small commercial vehicle manufactured by the now integrated Prince Motor Company. It was available as a van, called the Homy, a double cab, or regular cab truck. The first model was known as the T64, and was sold as the P ...

(a pickup truck based on the Homy) *

Prince R380 The Prince R380 is a racing car built in 1965 by Prince Motor Company to compete in the Japanese Grand Prix. Following the merger of Prince Motor Company and Nissan Motors in 1966, the R380 was modified into the Nissan R380-II (also known as R380 ...

(a race car) *

Nissan Prince Royal The Nissan Prince Royal is a large Japanese limousine made for the Imperial Household of Japan. History The Japanese auto industry was expanding rapidly in the early 1960s, and the Imperial Household Agency sought a Japanese auto manufacturer t ...

(a limousine made for the

Imperial Household of Japan The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

) *

(a small front-wheel-drive coupe and sedan) *

Prince 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. " ...

cabover Cab-over, also known as cab over engine (COE), cab forward (U.S.), flat nose (Canada), or forward control (UK), is a body style of truck, bus, or van that has a vertical front, "flat face" or a semi-hood, with the cab of the truck sitting abo ...

truck) ** Prince Light Coach (a large capacity passenger bus shared with the Clipper)

Concept vehicles

* 1956 Prince BNSJ: Displayed at the 1956

Tokyo Motor Show The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show ...

, the BNSJ was much larger compared to other Japanese cars of the era and was the first non-production prototype (concept) displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show. It was powered by the FG4A-20 engine, but was enlarged to 1.9L. The BNSJ never entered production. * 1956 Prince DPSK: The DPSK was developed as part of Japan's "National Car" program of 1955, similar to the German program that resulted in the Volkswagen Beetle. The proposal called for a 4-seater with an engine of 350 cc to 500 cc, a weight of around and a top speed of . The DPSK was powered by a rear-mounted two-cylinder boxer engine known as the FG2D. This engine suffered from vibration and noise problems and was later replaced with a four-cylinder boxer engine called the FG4C and the car became the CPSK. Prince persevered with this concept until 1959, when the National Car program was cancelled. * 1963 Prince 1900 Sprint: Based on the Skyline 1500, the Sprint was designed by Scaglione of Italy and powered by the 1.9L GB-4 engine from the Gloria. The Sprint was shown at the 1963 Tokyo Motor Show, but did not enter production.

References

External links

*
Tama Electric Vehicle E4S-47
JSAE Official Website

JSAE Official Website {{Authority control Nissan Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1952 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1966 Japanese companies established in 1952 1966 disestablishments in Japan 1966 mergers and acquisitions Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Japan Manufacturing companies based in Tokyo