My perception at the time, unlike all those here with fond Datsun memories, was the name Datsun was tied to the old “made from beer cans” meme about Japanese products being inferior It's hard to see that as a reason to drop the name in the 80s. By that time Datsun has a reputation on four continents of building nearly unbreakable rally cars.
1966 East African Safari Rally. 88 cars entered, two of them Datsun 411s.
Nine cars finished, two of them Datsun 411s: 1st, 2d in class, 5th, 6th outright.
Class win by a 510 in 1969. Outright wins by Datsuns in 1970, 71, 73. By this stage 40 of the 85 entrants were Datsuns - Porsches, BMWs, Volvos being considered too fragile.
Then there was the 1971 U2 Trans-Am.
IN the 70s, the BMW2002 was known as the rich mans Datsun 510.
Ten years later Nissan Co threw that all away.
As I posted, no idea why they dropped the name. Just that for many into cars at the time, it was synonymous with cheap.
Wife had a Sentra that I had to drive for several months. Also borrowed one of those 280Z things for a while. Not like I have no personal experience with their cars.
And a hand built race car has absolutely nothing to do with factory produced street cars, but you knew that.
The Trans-Am 510s were very cool. Datsun sold a bunch of nice race bits for them. Can't do that now with the EPA BS. I seriously thought about buying and building my own street legal Trans-Am car.