There’s hardly a person who doesn’t know Toyota or Nissan. Though it feels like it has always been so, that isn’t the case! Only a handful of people in the US had ever put their hands on the wheel of a Toyota or Datsun (Nissan’s export marque) prior to 1958.

Officially, both brands entered the US market on January 9, 1958, at the Los Angeles Imported Car Show, featuring Toyopet Crown and Datsun-1000. But were they successful?

American drivers and auto critics ...