Datsun was established in 1914 and was the first mass-produced Japanese motor vehicle. Nissan Motors was founded in 1933. The two companies merged in 1960. Both labels continued to be manufactured until 1982, which was the last year that "Datsun" appeared on the "Sentra" model. The story is a bit complicated, but Datsun and Nissan merged, with datsun becoming a brand of Nissan (much like Lexus IS a brand of toyota).