Nissan and its performance partner Nismo have been linked together for years, but now it’s official: Nismo has been confirmed as Nissan’s exclusive performance and motorsport brand. The Japanese automaker marked the occasion with the opening of a new Nismo corporate headquarters and R&D facility in Yokohama, Japan.
The good news for Nissan enthusiasts, as delivered by Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, is that the Nismo brand will be expanding rapidly to cover a variety of Nissan models. In Ghosn’s words, “Nismo will bring new excitement to the Nissan portfolio with a broader range of affordable and innovative performance models for more markets and more people. Whether it’s a small car or a sports car, if it’s wearing the Nismo badge it offers something special – quality, functionality, and efficiency, with Nismo’s distinctive styling, sporty handling and dynamic performance capabilities.”
In the United States, the first new offering will be the Juke Nismo, possibly followed by a new Nismo 370Z (which Nissan says was developed for the European market). There are even plans for a Nismo GT-R, too, but details on what that may or may not include are lacking.
Nissan will be expanding its motorsports presence via the Nismo brand as well, and plans to run Nismo-prepared cars in the 24 Hours of LeMans (in 2014), the Australian V8 Supercar Series, GT3, Super GT and the Blancpain Endurance Series.
