Prince Motor Company
A defunct Japanese automobile manufacturer whose vehicle lines and dealer organization were absorbed into Nissan.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Prince Motor Company was a Japanese automobile manufacturer and marque that operated independently until its merger into Nissan Motor Company in 1966. Its corporate history grew out of Japan's postwar industrial reorganization and had two closely connected roots. One was the former Tachikawa Aircraft Company, an aircraft producer during the Second World War. After the war, its Fuchu plant moved into electric-vehicle production and became the Tokyo Electric Car Company in 1947. The operation subsequently used the names Tama Electric Car Company and Tama Motor Company before adopting the Prince name in 1952. The other root was Fuji Precision Industries, formed from plants associated with the former Nakajima Aircraft Company after the breakup of wartime industrial groups. Fuji Precision supplied engines to the Tama operation and merged with it in 1954. The combined company temporarily operated under the Fuji Precision Industries name before reviving Prince Motor Company in 1961. The company initially experimented with electric transportation, producing the Tama electric car in the immediate postwar period. It then moved toward conventional passenger cars and commercial vehicles, developing a reputation for engineering quality, relatively sophisticated engines, and upscale vehicles. Its principal passenger-car families were the Prince Skyline and Prince Gloria. The Skyline evolved from a family sedan into a performance-oriented line, while the Gloria occupied a more luxurious position. Prince also produced the Skyway estate and delivery vehicle, the Miler pickup, the Homy van and minibus, the Homer pickup, the Clipper cab-over truck, and the Light Coach bus. Its engineering portfolio extended to the R380 racing car and the Nissan Prince Royal limousine built for Japan's Imperial Household. Prince's motorsport activity helped establish the Skyline's performance identity. In 1962, the company became the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to enter a works team in the Liège-Sofia-Liège European rally. Although its two Skylines did not finish, the program demonstrated Prince's willingness to use competition to develop and promote its technology. The company also displayed experimental vehicles, including the BNSJ, DPSK, CPSK, and 1900 Sprint, reflecting efforts to address Japan's emerging demand for both compact and premium automobiles. Prince announced a merger with Nissan in 1965, and the transaction was completed in August 1966. The independent manufacturer disappeared, but its products and technical work continued within Nissan. The Skyline and Gloria were retained as Nissan product lines, while the Laurel and Cherry programs reached the market under Nissan branding after development had begun at Prince. The Homy was later aligned with the Nissan Caravan. Prince's retail identity also survived for decades through the Nissan Prince Store dealership network in Japan, which was eventually consolidated into Nissan Blue Stage in 1999. Prince is therefore best understood as both a historical automobile manufacturer and a major predecessor organization within Nissan's passenger-car business.
History
Prince Motor Company emerged from the conversion of Japanese aircraft-industry assets to peacetime manufacturing. The company's immediate predecessor was the electric-car operation of Tachikawa Aircraft Company. In December 1946, that division became independent as the Fuchu Plant of Kosoku Kikan Kogyo. On June 30, 1947, it was reorganized as the Tokyo Electric Car Company, the date generally treated as Prince's official foundation. The company introduced the Tama electric car, named after the Tama area of Tokyo and based on an Ohta-derived platform. Its early work reflected postwar fuel shortages and the need for economical urban transportation. Shojiro Ishibashi invested in the company in 1949 and became chairman. The business changed its name to Tama Electric Car Company later that year and to Tama Motor Company in 1951. In November 1952 it adopted the Prince name, commemorating the formal investiture of Akihito as Crown Prince. The name was not continuous at first: on April 10, 1954, Tama Motor Company merged with its engine supplier, Fuji Precision Industries, and the combined business was named Fuji Precision Industries. Fuji Precision had its own postwar origins in the former Nakajima Aircraft Company. Nakajima changed its name to Fuji Sangyo after the war. Following government-directed dissolution of the associated industrial group, Fuji Sangyo was divided in 1950. Its Tokyo and Hamamatsu plants became Fuji Precision Industries. Ishibashi became Fuji Precision's chairman in 1951, and the supplier and customer were subsequently combined in the 1954 merger. This created the engineering and manufacturing base from which the later Prince automobile range developed. The company returned to the Prince name in February 1961. During the 1950s and 1960s it expanded from compact and experimental vehicles into passenger cars, premium sedans, commercial vehicles, buses, and competition cars. The Skyline became its best-known performance-oriented line, while the Gloria established a more luxurious position. Prince also developed the Homy van, Clipper truck, Light Coach bus, Miler pickup, and related commercial products. The company pursued technical differentiation through engine development, vehicle experimentation, and racing. Its 1962 entry of a factory team in the Liège-Sofia-Liège was a notable early Japanese works-team appearance in a European rally, even though neither entered Skyline completed the event. Prince's design and engineering programs included several non-production concepts. The 1956 BNSJ was a large prototype shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, while the DPSK and its later CPSK development addressed the government's proposed National Car program. Prince also exhibited the 1900 Sprint in 1963, a sports-oriented prototype designed by Giovanni Michelotti's contemporary Italian design milieu and based on Skyline and Gloria mechanical elements. These programs illustrated the company's attempt to balance national-market affordability with an increasingly upscale image. As Japan's automobile industry consolidated, Prince announced a merger with Nissan in May 1965. The merger was completed in August 1966, ending Prince as an independent manufacturer. Nissan retained the Prince organization for a period and continued important product families. The Skyline and Gloria remained in Nissan's range; the Laurel, whose development had started at Prince, appeared after the merger; and the small front-wheel-drive program became the Nissan Cherry. The Homy was later connected with the Nissan Caravan. The Prince name also remained visible in Nissan Prince Store dealerships in Japan until the network was reorganized into Nissan Blue Stage in 1999. Prince's enduring legacy is consequently found in Nissan's Skyline heritage, performance engineering, premium-sedan history, and former dealer network rather than in an independent company operating today.
- 1999
Prince dealership network is consolidated
[1]Nissan consolidated the Nissan Prince Store network into Nissan Blue Stage.
- 1966
Prince becomes part of Nissan
[1]The merger was completed in August, ending Prince's independent corporate existence.
- 1965
Merger with Nissan is announced
[1]Prince announced its planned combination with Nissan Motor Company.
- 1962
European works-rally debut
[1]Prince entered two Skylines in the Liège-Sofia-Liège, becoming the first Japanese manufacturer to field a works team in that European rally.
- 1961
Prince name is restored
[1]Fuji Precision Industries changed its name back to Prince Motor Company.
- 1954
Prince and Fuji Precision combine
[1]The automobile company merged with its engine supplier and operated as Fuji Precision Industries.
- 1952
Tama Motor adopts the Prince name
[1]The company changed its name to Prince Motor Company in November.
- 1947
Tokyo Electric Car Company is established
[1]The Fuchu operation became the Tokyo Electric Car Company on June 30, a date treated as Prince's official foundation.
- 1946
Aircraft plant begins electric-car transition
[1]The electric-vehicle division of Tachikawa Aircraft Company's Fuchu plant became the foundation of the later Prince organization.
- 1946
Tama electric car enters the company's early history
[1]The company produced the Tama electric car for postwar Japanese transportation needs.
Products and positioning
Engineering-led Japanese automobile manufacturer with a strong emphasis on refined passenger cars, premium sedans, commercial vehicles, and motorsport-derived performance.
Electric car · 1946
Tama
The Tama was an early postwar electric car produced by the company's predecessor organizations. It reflected the practical constraints of Japan's immediate postwar economy, particularly limited fuel availability, and connected the former aircraft plant's engineering capabilities with civilian transportation. The vehicle helped establish the company's initial identity before it shifted toward gasoline-powered passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
Passenger car and performance car
Prince Skyline
The Skyline was Prince's most influential vehicle family. It began as a passenger-car line and developed into a performance-oriented sedan and coupe associated with Prince's engineering ambitions and motorsport activity. Nissan retained the name after the 1966 merger, making Skyline the clearest surviving product legacy of the Prince organization.
Luxury sedan and wagon
Prince Gloria
The Gloria was Prince's principal luxury automobile family, offered in sedan and wagon forms. It helped position the company above mass-market Japanese manufacturers by emphasizing larger vehicles and more sophisticated powertrains. Nissan continued the Gloria name after the merger as part of its upper-market passenger-car portfolio.
Van and minibus
Prince Homy
The Homy was a commercial vehicle and passenger minibus with seating capacity of up to 15 people. It broadened Prince's business beyond passenger cars and later became associated with Nissan's Caravan product family after the merger.
Racing car
Prince R380
The R380 was a purpose-built racing car representing Prince's competition engineering. It formed part of the company's effort to demonstrate high-performance technology and build credibility around its road-car performance programs, particularly the Skyline.
Limousine
Nissan Prince Royal
The Prince Royal was a large limousine developed for Japan's Imperial Household. It represented the company's ability to produce highly specialized, prestigious vehicles in addition to ordinary passenger cars and commercial products.
Cab-over truck
Prince Clipper
The Clipper was Prince's cab-over commercial truck. It served business and transport customers and formed part of the company's broad commercial-vehicle range, which also included pickups, vans, and buses.
Compact luxury sedan and coupe · 1968
Nissan Laurel
The Laurel was a compact luxury model whose development began at Prince before the Nissan merger. It was introduced after the transaction and shared a technical relationship with the Skyline, illustrating how Prince programs were transferred into Nissan's product plan.
Small front-wheel-drive car
Nissan Cherry
The Cherry originated in a Prince development program intended to compete with small Japanese family cars. After the merger, Nissan launched it under the Cherry name, and it became an early example of the group's front-wheel-drive small-car strategy.
Brand decisions
1966
Transfer Prince programs into NissanStrategyBackground
The corporate merger required Nissan to rationalize and continue selected Prince products and programs.
Action taken
Nissan retained the Skyline and Gloria, introduced the Prince-developed Laurel, and launched the small-car program as the Nissan Cherry.
Aftermath
Prince engineering and product heritage became part of Nissan's long-term passenger-car portfolio.
1965
Announce merger with NissanM&ABackground
Prince operated in an increasingly consolidated Japanese automobile industry and sought a combination with Nissan.
Action taken
Prince announced its merger with Nissan Motor Company in May.
Aftermath
The merger was completed in August 1966. Prince products and development programs were incorporated into Nissan, while the Prince retail organization continued for decades.
1954
Merge with Fuji Precision IndustriesM&ABackground
Fuji Precision Industries was an engine supplier to Prince and had separate roots in postwar aircraft-industry restructuring.
Action taken
Prince Motor Company merged with Fuji Precision Industries on April 10, with the combined company using the Fuji Precision Industries name.
Aftermath
The merger combined vehicle production and engine expertise; the Prince name was restored in 1961.
1952
Adopt the Prince corporate identityStrategyBackground
The Tama Motor business was moving from early electric vehicles toward a broader automobile manufacturing role.
Action taken
The company changed its name to Prince Motor Company.
Aftermath
The Prince name became the identity associated with its later passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and racing programs, although it was temporarily replaced by Fuji Precision Industries after the 1954 merger.
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