A lower-cost range with the same underpinnings, called the DS series, took over from the DA and was sold in parallel.
The cars shared their chassis with the contemporary small Datsun trucks, which sold in considerably larger numbers.
The Datsun DB was introduced in March 1948 as the first postwar Japanese vehicle with modern styling.
[1] The DB (based on the same pre-war chassis as used on the Datsun 2124 truck and most other Datsuns since the early 1930s) resembled the 1947 Crosley, with some minor differences: the front end was longer, windshield shape was rectangular, grille design was different.
The engine was the pre-war 722 cc Type 7 sidevalve four-cylinder (rated at 15 horsepower) with a floor-shift 3-speed manual.
The front end was changed; the chrome-plated grille was replaced with a pressed steel unit that was painted the same color as rest of the car; it also featured a pair of turn signals.
The DB-5 was slightly redesigned in late 1953; the side indicators were changed and it now had a larger, wrap-around rear window with the glass cast in three pieces.