Nishima Giken Kōgyō KK

Dorifto_Dorito · 2 October 2019 19:23

_{EST. 1933}

卓越性を目指して
Striving For Excellence

Company Overview

Established in 1933, Nishima is one of the many post-war success stories for Japanese industry. Manufacturing a cars, vans, trucks, buses and other industrial equipment, Nishima has cemented itself as one of the major players in the Japanese auto industry.

Founded by Isahara Nishima, Nishima is based in Osaka. Nishima was initially a subsidiary of its parent company, Nishima Heavy Industries and Shipyards, and produced sewing machines and bicycles before producing their first automobile in 1937. After the war, Nishima began producing vans and taxis using knock-down kit cars from Europe. From there, the company grew to a large multinational company before being partially bought by the Merciel Group in 1996.

Nishima is also renown as manufacturer in ASCAR, WRC, ATCC and other forms of Motorsport. Around the world, you’ll find at least one Nishima in the starting grid.

OOC: Nishimia is just rebranded Nohda

Dorifto_Dorito · 2 October 2019 21:29

So two years ago I made this post here. It was the first lore post for this company (its predecessor actually) back when UE4 was brand spanking new. So where else would we start…

A Fresh Start 4th Gen. Nishima Assent 1983-1988

Backstory

By 1980, the 3rd Gen. (L60) Assent was getting long in the tooth. Its solid rear axle made it significantly less comfortable than its competitors, which at this point were mostly using independent rear suspension. As such, a new Assent was needed. Initially drafted up in December 1980, the 4th Gen. (L70) Assent would be a completely new design.

Developed from the ground up, the new Assent would feature independent front and rear suspension. This gave it a ride that rivaled its competitors. The car was also lengthened slightly to increase passenger space, making the new Assent more spacious compared to its predecessor. Along with these improvements, the chassis was also stiffened considerably compared to the previous model, improving handling and reducing body roll.

At launch, the Assent was available with 4 different gasoline engine choices, (3 in the US). A 1.3L i4 making 54hp, a 1.6L i4 making 70hp, a 1.8L i4 making 90hp and a 2.5L i4 making 92hp. (The US only received the 1.6L, 1.8L and a different 2.5L making 80hp.) Though not sporty by any means, the Assent was a popular car to modify and tune.

Assent GTX

Déjà vu, I’ve just been in this place before…

Only available in Japan and Europe, the Assent GTX was the best that the Assent had to offer in terms of performance. Based on the standard model, the Assent GTX underwent strict weight reduction, removing everything that was deemed unnecessary. As a result, the GTX only weighed in at 1127kgs, 42 less than an equivalently specked model.

Under the hood sat a 2.5L "R Series" inline 4 engine. Unlike the one found in the base models, this engine was tuned to produce a whopping 162hp @6300 RPM and 217Nm @3000 RPM. This was driven through a 5 speed manual gearbox to a geared limited slip differential in the rear. This accelerated the car from 0-60 in 7.4s. The suspension was also retuned for improved handling and a rear spoiler was added to help keep the rear in check.

The Assent GTX would eventually become popular performance car. While its performance may not have been incredible, the low price, reliable engine and handling, made the Assent GTX popular in the drift scene.

Overall, the 4th Gen. (L70) Assent would be a sales success around the world. Though, the 4th Gen. would be the last of the RWD Assents, the next generation of cars would continue the Assent GTX’s performance.

And just as a throwback…

Dorifto_Dorito · 3 October 2019 17:51

Rewind Time 1st & 2nd Gen. Nishima Assent 1969-1977

Backstory

In 1962, Nishima was having good success, bringing popular cars such as the Harmony and the newly released Carillon to the market. However, a new market had appeared. Smaller “compacts” were gaining favour with families living in the densely populated city centers of Tokyo and other large cities. As such a new design was needed. Codenamed “L40 Assent”, this new design would debut in 1969…

The 1969 Nishima Assent was based of the larger midsized Carillon which debuted in 1962. The chassis was cut by 200mm to reduce the wheelbase from 2.5m to 2.3. The reduced length improved turning radius and made the Assent significantly shorter than the Carillon. While this reduced passenger space, the Assent was still more than capable of seating 4 adults.

From launch, 3 gasoline engine choices were available, a 1L i4 making 40hp, a 1.3L i4 making 50hp and a 1.6L i4 making 60hp. All these engines were driven to the rear wheels through a 4 speed gearbox, with an optional 5 speed gearbox (available only on the 1.6L). While the Assent was by no means fast, reaching 0-60 in 16.5s, the car handled well enough to gain attention from rally teams, who used modified Assents to race in the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally. The first generation Assent would last from 1969-1973

2nd Gen. Nishima Assent 1973-1977

In 1973, the first generation Assent received a facelift as well as a significant redesign of suspension components. It was thus deemed to be a new generation, although internally, it was known as the “Gen 1.5”. Externally, the first and second generation Assents look almost identical, but the difference was hidden underneath in the chassis.

Throughout its production run, the first generation Assent suffered from a weak chassis. This was due to the Assent being just a shortened version of the Carillon. As such, it was common to see first Gen. Assents having broken/damaged frames. The second Gen would fix this problem with more structural support in the chassis as well as a complete redesign of the rear suspension components.

Under the hood sat the same set of engine choices as the previous generation, with one major difference. Previously, the Assent came with SU carburettors, however, since Nishima planned on exporting this generation of Assents to the USA, the engines had to comply with US regulations. As such, a new engine choice was made available, a 1.6L i4 with a two barrel carburettor. This overall made the engine more reliable as well as improved the fuel economy greatly compared to its predecessor. The second Gen. was also the first to come with an automatic gearbox as an option.

abg7 · 3 October 2019 23:44

I think you made the right decision to rename and reboot your Far Eastern company - it can no longer be confused with any real-life brands and, on top of that, the cars look much better now.

Dorifto_Dorito · 4 October 2019 23:08

Post War Posterboy 1st Gen. Nishima Tansa X10 1955-1981

Backstory

During the 1950s, the Korean War created massive demand for light duty military trucks. Since shipping these vehicles en mass from the US was prohibitively expensive, manufacturers in Asia were drafted to manufacture their own light duty trucks. One such truck was the Nishima X10.

Developed in 1951, the Nishima X10 was developed specifically for military use, hence the spartan interior and styling. Under the hood sat an Nishima Type M 2.2L inline 6 engine, though some variants also featured the American designed "US Standard" 2.2L inline 4. Both engines were reliable easy to maintain which made them popular with mechanics. The X10 also featured a 4 speed manual transmission with part-time 4 wheel drive with a low range transfer case.

In Korea, the X10 was praised for its reliability and ruggedness, being able to transport troops to places where other vehicles could not. The X10 was also compact and light enough to be transported by gilder. After the ceasefire, the X10 was used by the Japanese Self Defense Force and other government organisations.

However, in 1955, the X10 would be sold to the public for the first time. Chief Technical Director Sawachika Tetsuyuki felt that Nishima were missing a light duty truck in their lineup, a product that could bridge the gap between a tractor, and a pick up. As such, the X10 was civilianised with more comfortable interior, a canvas roof and an optional radio. Re branded the Nishima Tansa, the X10 would become a sales success selling globally from 1955-1981. The last X10, #164,428 rolled out of the factory in Peru on June 10th 1981.