Nissan Motor Co., Ltd announced yesterday that NISMO, its dedicated global performance road car and motorsports arm, is developing a new, higher-powered road version of the iconic Nissan GT-R.
The GT-R NISMO will be the third NISMO-badged model to emerge from Nissan's performance-oriented brand as part of a strategy to add a range of exciting, innovative performance models across the Nissan range.
NISMO, with a new global headquarters near Yokohama, Japan officially opening yesterday, already has deep experience in developing and preparing the Nissan GT-R for the racetrack. That expertise will go into creating GT-R NISMO.
"It would be unthinkable for us to develop a range of NISMO road cars without including the GT-R," said Nissan President and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn. "The standard road car is a global supercar and the GT-R's performance on track reflects the passion and talents of the NISMO team. The GT-R NISMO will be special and I can't wait to drive it."
Already a legendary name to millions of video gamers and motorsports fans around the world thanks to Sony's Gran Turismo® video racing series and Skyline's on-track success since 1969, it's no wonder that, together with acclaim for its road-going versions from leading automotive publications, the GT-R has achieved cult status.
The NISMO team's intimate knowledge comes from their involvement in racing the GT-R and is a good precursor to the development of the new NISMO road car which will be based on the 2014 GT-R.
"We know that enthusiasts around the world will be itching to know more about the forthcoming GT-R NISMO," said NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani. "It's too early to share any details yet, but fans can be certain we'll be applying all of our motorsport expertise to creating a GT-R NISMO worthy of the name."
The production 2014 model year Nissan GT-R has received evolutionary design and engineering enhancements based around feedback from competing in last year's 24-Hours Nürburgring, and its success in Super GT and Global GT series.
As a result, the vehicle's overall performance has been dramatically increased, high-speed stability improved and ride quality vastly more refined.
In development now, the new GT-R NISMO will sit at the top of the new Nissan NISMO range of performance vehicles, and be available alongside the standard model in Nissan's specialized GT-R dealerships next year.
Technical specifications and performance figures will be released closer to launch.