Formerly marketed under the name Datsun, Nissan Motors, Ltd is a Japanese auto maker with corporate offices in Ginza, Tokyo, though they plan to move to Yokohama, Kanagawa by 2010, and construction of their new headquarters are set to begin this year.

As well as having an alliance with Renault S.A. Of France, Nissan is among the top three Asian rivals of the "big three" automobile manufacturers in the United States. Much like its French cousin, there is global disagreement about the pronunciation of the brand's name, which is "NI-san" in the United States, but "nis-san" elsewhere in the English-speaking world.

For the entire twelve years since the award was created, the Nissan VQ engine, a proprietary V6, has been featured among Ward's 10 Best Engines. A new generation of this engine will premiere on the next generation Infiniti, G35, the future GT-R, and the 2007 Nissan 350Z. As well, the 2007 model-year Altima and SPEC-V Sentra will feature an updated 2.5VQ 4-cylinder engine.