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Australia is among the export markets that could benefit from a flood of new high-performance Nissans, hoped to boost the company's image amid tough times.
The global line-up of high-performance Nismo road cars will expand from five to 10, in a move intended to boost interest in the Nissan brand through more emotional "heartbeat" models.
And the majority of those are expected to be destined for markets outside of Japan, as Nissan is hoping to boost export sales of Nismo cars from 40,000 to 90,000 in the next two to three years.
Nissan is yet to reveal which models in its range will be given the Nismo treatment, and if there will remain a choice of petrol, hybrid, and electric power.
The current Nismo line-up covers the Ariya Nismo electric SUV, Note Aura Nismo hybrid city hatch, X-Trail Nismo mid-size hybrid SUV, Z Nismo petrol sports car, and Patrol Nismo petrol 4WD.
Potential candidates for Nismo versions include the latest Leaf electric car – given it shares its underpinnings with the Ariya – as well as the 2027 successor to the Infiniti Q50 luxury sedan, the current version of which is sold in Japan as the Nissan Skyline.
However, the brand does say that it will "actively consider collaborations with external partners to expand its Nismo car lineup business," which could fit with a future Triton Ralliart flagship.
The Japanese car giant says it plans to "expand market availability" of Nismo models, given no single region it operates in – such as Europe, the US, Japan, and Australia/New Zealand – offers all five current vehicles.
The X-Trail Nismo and Patrol Nismo are logical candidates for Australia, given their donor cars are already popular locally.
Global sales of Nismo models are targeted to grow from 100,000 today to 150,000 "by 2028", but more interesting is that the share of those destined for markets outside of Japan are intended to rise from "approximately 40 per cent to 60 per cent".
It means Nissan intends to sell 90,000 Nismo cars outside of Japan come 2028, up from 40,000 today.
Alongside the production-car expansion, Nissan says that starting Japanese fiscal year 2026 (April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027) it will "introduce prototype vehicles for racing activities".
These are planned to "accelerate technological advancements in both hardware and software development for racing purpose and car lineup expansion," Nissan says.
Nissan will also "expand into new types of racing" beyond Super GT touring cars in Japan, and the Formula E electric single-seater series.
It will also expand its restoration and parts businesses, including more components to keep older Skyline GT‑R R32, R33 and R34 performance cars on the road, as well as other classic Nissans.
The car giant sees performance cars from the Nismo as a way of "sparking emotion", and boosting interest in the Nissan brand as it looks to reverse its fortunes amid slowing sales and tough finances.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
