It was the last in a line of Datsun small cars produced before Nissan's resources were diverted to military materials for the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The Datsun 17 was almost identical to the preceding Datsun 16 but distinguished by a wide vertical bar in middle of the front grille and a simpler interior.

[1] The 16 PS (12 kW) engine drove the rear wheels through a 3-speed gearbox to give the car a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).

[2] Production of the Datsun 17 started in Yokohama in April 1938 and, according to Nissan, continued until January 1944, although Alan Bent claims that it finished in late 1938 as part of the cessation civilian car production that followed the Japanese decision to focus on military vehicles.

This article about a classic pre-war automobile produced between 1930 and 1945 is a stub.