TOKYO—Yutaka Katayama, a former president of Nissan Motor Co.’s U.S. unit who turned the Z sports car into a powerful global brand in the 1970s, has died. He was 105.

Known as the “father of the Z,” Mr. Katayama won international respect for the Datsun Z as an affordable sports car at a time when Japan-made products were synonymous with slipshod quality.

Mr....