NISMO is to Nissan what AMG is to Mercedes-Benz and FPV is to Ford. Good news for performance car enthusiasts from the Tokyo Motor Show with Nissan announcing a major expansion for the fabled racing division.
Big-time growth is planned, with NISMO versions of mainstream Nissan models on the drawing boards and the company shifting to a glamorous new, high-tech headquarters in Tsurumi, Yokohama which will also house the race shop. All a far cry for the former headquarters of Nissan Motorsports International which Car Showroom visited many times as far back at the 1980s.
Currently NISMO’s road-going activity is really only based on the Z sports cars, but will now expand across the entire Nissan range. In fact a concept NISMO Juke was unveiled at Tokyo.
Announcing the plans in Tokyo, Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s President, said: “NISMO has carved out an enviable reputation in motor racing. In fact in 2011, NISMO cars and engines won in every category they competed in…the first time we have achieved this milestone.”
“The time is now right to let ordinary drivers experience what our racing drivers enjoy every time they head out onto the track. We aim to bring NISMO’s passion and focus on driving excitement to mainstream models, and the Juke NISMO Concept shows what we can do,” Mr Ghosn added.
NISMO fans from around the world will be encouraged to visit the famous race team’s new headquarters here in Japan to view the company’s historic collection of race cars and also to buy performance parts for their own Nissan vehicles.
