The 2014 GT-R will provide the foundation for Nissan's next NISMO model.
Nissan plans to rapidly ramp up its line-up of high-performance models under the NISMO brand, with a new version of the GT-R sports car to join the Juke and 370Z NISMO models the maker unveiled earlier this month at the Chicago Auto Show.
Originally intended to serve as the Japanese maker’s racing arm, NISMO will now get its own headquarters and a plant specifically earmarked to produce its performance street products.
During a news conference in Japan on Tuesday morning, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn also outlined an expanded role for NISMO in the maker’s global motorsports program, with Nissan planning to field a car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014 that will be based on the revolutionary DeltaWing project it sponsored during the 2012 running of the grueling endurance race. While details have yet to be released, the new Le Mans car will make extensive use of electric propulsion, as well as advanced aerodynamic design.
Nissan will put the Juke on NISMO steroids.
“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.”
Its name shorthand for Nissan Motorsport International Limited, NISMO was launched in 1984 to focus primarily on sports car racing, including Japan’s Formula 3 series. Over the years, a few street models have occasionally shared the NISMO designation but that badge will become a regular part of the line-up going forward, Nissan global marketing chief Simon Sproule recently explained during an interview with TheDetroitBureau.com.
(For more on that interview and on the NISMO Juke and 370Z models, Click Here.)
The new approach is closely modeled upon what Mercedes-Benz’s has done with its AMG brand-within-a-brand, as well as the vauntedM- line from BMW, said Sproule, acknowledging, “They have done a better job at this.” While Nissan has a “rich and credible history with performance vehicles,” he added, that has “never been fully exploited.”
The original version of the Nissan GT-R was a formidable offering and Nissan plans to give it a significant boost for 2014. During the Chicago Auto Show it revealed a limited-edition GT-R Track Edition model that will deliver 545 horsepower through the rear wheels while offering stiffer spring and shocks, tighter steering and new body trim designed to improve aerodynamics, engine breathing and brake cooling.
The unique Nissan Delta Wing made it through nearly seven hours before a crash put it out of action at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year.
How much further might NISMO take the 2-seater? For now, “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,” said NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani, but he hinted that it will show a clear influence from having raced on the Le Mans circuit last year.
Going forward. NISMO will have its own headquarters and production facility adjacent to Nissan’s Powertrain Engineering complex. The facility allows the entire NISMO team to be collocated under one roof, everything from engineering to race prep work. The facility will provide a small manufacturing facility, as well, where production models can be converted to NISMO spec. There will also be a showroom for potential buyers to check out the expanding line-up of performance products.
While NISMO will play an increasing role in the Nissan street line-up, the brand won’t abandon its roots. Quite the opposite. Ghosn plans to fund a significant expansion of the sub-brand’s motorsports efforts, starting this year. But the real push will come in 2014 when Nissan returns to Le Mans.
Nissan garnered significant interest as a key sponsor of the breakthrough DeltaWing, a dart-like experimental design that traded off power for extremely light weight and aircraft-like aerodynamics. The DeltaWing was an early casualty during the 24-hour race, but Nissan had hinted it wasn’t ready to abandon the project.
“We will return to Le Mans with a vehicle that will act as a high-speed test bed in the harshest of environments for both our road car and race car electric vehicle technology,” said CEO Ghosn.
The new entry is expected to share key elements of the original DeltaWing, especially its emphasis on aero design and mass reduction. But instead of using a beefed-up engine borrowed from the Nissan Juke, the 2014 Le Mans model will feature an electrified drivetrain, according to several company sources.
Exactly how much power will be derived from alternative power remains to be seen – but one source indicated the new car will use a more sophisticated hybrid system than the KERS technology currently in use in Formula One and on other race circuits.
Nissan plans to reveal more details closer to the 2014 race.