Registry

Does Nissan support Israel?

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Business presence documentedupdated 2026-09-26

Nissan does business in Israel — we found records of its operations there, but no record of donations, aid, or a public statement of support. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Car & automotive brands · Companies that support Israel

Background

Nissan itself has no plants or sales subsidiary in Israel: Nissan vehicles are sold there by Carasso Motors, an independent Israeli importer that has held the Nissan franchise since the early 1990s — the importer's actions are not Nissan's. Historically Nissan stayed out of the Israeli market for decades under Arab League boycott pressure (it refused an Israeli dealership request in 1969) and only announced it would sell in Israel in 1991 as US anti-boycott scrutiny intensified. Its documented Israel ties today run through the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance: the joint Alliance Innovation Lab in Tel Aviv (opened 2019) and Alliance Ventures investments in Israeli mobility-tech (Maniv Mobility, Upstream Security) — joint alliance activities in which Nissan is one partner, not unilateral Nissan actions; the Israel Innovation Authority extended the lab's concession by three years in November 2021. Hebrew press also documents war-time aid by the importer's own group: in October 2023 Frisbee, the Carasso group's services brand, "adopted" the IDF's 98th Division, put its vehicle fleet behind military and evacuee logistics and donated NIS 500,000 (about US$123,000) to Gaza-border evacuees — the importer group's money and acts, not Nissan's. No Nissan corporate donations to Israeli government bodies, the military or Israel-linked charities are documented.

Haaretz — Renault importer Carasso (Nissan importer since early 1990s) JTA archive — Nissan says it will sell to Israel as Congress steps up boycott watch (1991) JTA archive — ADL charges Japanese firms bow to Arab boycott of Israel (1969) Times of Israel — Renault, Nissan open innovation lab in Tel Aviv ice (Hebrew) — Frisbee (formerly Carasso Motors) war-time aid and NIS 500,000 donation autocom (Hebrew) — Israel Innovation Authority extends the Alliance lab's concession by three years (2021)

Timeline of documented records

2019202020212022202320242018-05 — Investment / program: Maniv Mobility (Tel Aviv automotive VC fund)Investment / program2018-052019-06 — Operations in Israel: Alliance Innovation Lab Tel Aviv (Israel R&D presence)Operations in Israel2019-062019-10 — Investment / program: Upstream Security Ltd. (Herzliya automotive-cybersecurity startup)Investment / program2019-102021-11 — Partnership: Israel Innovation Authority (Israeli government agency) and Israeli automotive start-upsPartnership2021-112023-10 — Franchisee action: Evacuees from the Gaza-border communities, the IDF's 98th Division, Magen David Adom and Israeli volunteer groupsFranchisee action2023-10

Documented records

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Operations in Israel2019-06-10—Alliance Innovation Lab Tel Aviv (Israel R&D presence)
Renault and Nissan jointly inaugurated the Alliance Innovation Lab Tel Aviv, a 1,600 m² facility in Atidim Park focused on autonomous-driving sensors, cybersecurity and big data, with an exclusive partnership with the Israel Innovation Authority and 10+ prototyping projects with Israeli startups (Apollo Power, Argus, AutoTalks, BrightWay Vision, Electreon and others). This is a joint facility of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance — of which Nissan is a member — announced on Nissan's own global newsroom, not a Nissan-only operation.
Investment / program2018-05—Maniv Mobility (Tel Aviv automotive VC fund)
Alliance Ventures — the joint venture-capital fund of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi — made its first investment in Israel, committing an undisclosed amount to Tel Aviv mobility-focused VC fund Maniv Mobility. An Alliance executive called it 'a partnership meant to help Alliance increase its involvement in the Israeli market and reach local startups.' The investment belongs to the joint Alliance fund, not to Nissan alone.
One source
Investment / program2019-10-21—Upstream Security Ltd. (Herzliya automotive-cybersecurity startup)
Alliance Ventures (the joint Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi fund) led the $30 million Series B round of Israeli automotive-cybersecurity company Upstream Security, alongside Volvo Group, Hyundai and Nationwide. The $30 million is the round total; the Alliance's individual share was not disclosed, and the investment is attributable to the joint Alliance fund rather than Nissan alone.
Partnership2021-11-23—Israel Innovation Authority (Israeli government agency) and Israeli automotive start-ups
Hebrew trade press reported on 23 November 2021 that the Israel Innovation Authority extended by three years the concession under which the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance innovation lab operates in Atidim Park, Tel Aviv. Under the Authority's "technological labs" track the extension lets the Israeli state fund proof-of-concept work by Israeli automotive start-ups — 85% of the approved budget, capped at NIS 1 million a year — run on the group's own vehicles at the lab; lab head Amos Shtsupak said it would widen work with early-stage companies. The lab is a joint facility of the Alliance, in which Nissan is one of three partners, and the funding flows from the Israeli government to the start-ups: this is a state-backed commercial R&D arrangement, not a donation. Both outlets carry the same announcement text, so this is one report on two hosts, not two independent witnesses.
Franchisee action2023-10-22$123,000Evacuees from the Gaza-border communities, the IDF's 98th Division, Magen David Adom and Israeli volunteer groups
Hebrew business press reported on 22 October 2023, day 16 of the war, the aid programme announced by Frisbee — the Carasso group's services brand, which Hebrew media call "formerly Carasso Motors"; Carasso is the independent Israeli company that has held the Nissan import franchise since the early 1990s and also imports Renault, Dacia, Infiniti and Chery. From 8 October 2023 the company put its commercial fleet and its staff's company cars to moving equipment, food and medicines to army bases and outposts from the Gaza-border area to the northern border, the Golan, Paran and Eilat; "adopted" the IDF's 98th Division with a standing supply of equipment and food; drove doctors; helped Magen David Adom teams assemble first-aid kits; gave tablets to evacuees; and donated NIS 500,000 (about US$123,000 at the Bank of Israel rate of 4.062 shekels to the dollar on 23 October 2023) to Gaza-border evacuees through its membership of the Business Forum. This is the importer group's own money and act, not Nissan Motor's — Nissan has no sales subsidiary in Israel. Both outlets are reporting the company's own announcement, so they are one source on two hosts rather than two independent witnesses.

Frequently asked questions

Did Nissan donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of donations. What is on record is commercial activity in Israel (Operations in Israel, Investment / program, Partnership, Franchisee action), which is not the same as support — see the records on this page.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 13 distinct sources are cited for Nissan. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-09-26

More companies