Datsun was a global brand name, with a history dating back to the 1930s. In a move still deemed one of the worst decisions in automotive marketing history, Nissan stopped using the name in favour of Nissan to unify corporate identity. Last year, Nissan said it would revive the brand name as a marquee for emerging markets, starting with India, Russia and Indonesia and eventually expanding elsewhere in Southeast Asia and to Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. According to many industry estimates, emerging market demand now accounts for more than half of the roughly 80 million vehicles being purchased worldwide each year. By the end of the decade, demand in the emerging world will likely account for two-thirds of anticipated overall global demand of 100 million cars a year, Cobee said. "Above all, it's because of the vast emerging swathe of middle-class consumers who are now reaching the pleasure of acquisitions of durable goods," he said.