The brand-new Frontier marks 62 years of Nissan building pickup trucks for the US - here's a brief history

2022 Frontier 16 source — 2022 Nissan Frontier.
Nissan

The 2022 Frontier is Nissan's brand-new, third-generation Frontier midsize pickup.
Nissan has been making pickups for the US market since 1959 when it was still called Datsun.
The first Frontier debuted in 1997.
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On Thursday, Nissan unveiled the brand-new, third-generation Frontier pickup truck.

As the first new Frontier since the outgoing generation was introduced in 2004, the 2022 Frontier finally sports modern pickup-truckish looks and more onboard technology to help it compete with contemporaries from Ford, Chevrolet, Jeep, and Toyota.

But while the Frontier might be new, Nissan has in fact been building pickups for the US market for more than 60 years. The legacy of the 2022 Frontier started with the 1959 Datsun 220 - which, according to a company press release, was the first compact pickup truck in the US.

Keep reading to see the evolution of Nissan's pickups.

The 2022 Frontier is the brand-new, third generation of Nissan's popular midsize pickup truck.

2022 Frontier 20 source — 2022 Nissan Frontier.
Nissan

It has new, aggressive styling that makes it look meaner and bigger.

2022 Frontier 12 source — 2022 Nissan Frontier.
Nissan

Still, though, it uses a 310-horsepower V6 that debuted in the 2020 Frontier.

The new Frontier is the latest in a long line of trucks Nissan has built for the US market.

2022 Frontier 23 source — 2022 Nissan Frontier.
Nissan

The first compact truck in the US, according to Nissan, was the adorable 1959 Datsun 220.

1960 Datsun 1200 Pickup source — 1960 Datsun 1200 pickup.
Nissan

Source: Nissan

It was followed by the Datsun 520, the first half-ton compact pickup truck.

1972 Datsun 521 Pickup source source — 1972 Datsun 521 pickup.
Nissan

The subsequent Datsun 620 had the first long bed, while the 1977 620 had the first King Cab body.

1973Datsun620 source — 1973 Datsun 620.
Nissan

The 1983 Datsun 720 became the first compact truck to be made in the US from an import brand.

1984 Datsun720 source — 1984 Datsun 720.
Nissan

In the mid-1980s, however, Datsun became Nissan. The Nissan Hardbody is, according to Motor Trend, "one of the most iconic, legit mini trucks of the '80s and '90s."