More Nismo electric cars on their way from Nissan as it commits to growing sub-brand

Nissan will continue building Nismo-enhanced performance flagships even as it expands its electric car plans.

Nissan’s Nismo performance sub-brand will not only survive in the age of electrification, but thrive, according to a senior brand executive.

Speaking to Australian media, including Drive, at the Sunderland factory in the UK, Nissan’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Planning Officer for the AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania) region, Francois Bailly, said there are plans to grow the Nismo brand.

“The Nismo brand, we want to make it bigger, yes,” he said.

“For me, Nismo is the Z, is the GT-R, is the Patrol, is those performance cars.

“Then you say EV [electric vehicle] and Nismo? I have no issue.”

Nismo already fields a number of all-electric and electrified models, with the Ariya, Leaf, and Note e-Power all receiving sportier variants over the years in overseas markets.

And the changes to the Nismo flagships aren’t just cosmetic either, with even electrified models receiving an increase to outputs, wider tyres, and upgraded suspension to eke out even more performance potential.

Similarly, the Nismo versions of the Z, GR-R, and Patrol adopt a the same philosophy of minor tweaks for boosted performance.

However, all Nismo models are distinguished by unique wheels and an eye-catching body kit with red highlights, so expect these styling elements to remain.

When asked if there was a possibility to do another sporty SUV like the original Juke Nismo or flagship versions of the Qashqai, Mr Bailly said another performance crossover is inevitable.

“Appetite? Yes. Intention, will? Yes,” he said.

“As a company, you have limited resources, so you’re choosing to electrify the line-up, and choosing to develop new technologies required so you have the credibility to do those [sporty] cars.

“That’s really where we are.

“If we had met in 2020, you would have said ‘oh, you’re going for bankruptcy’. Now, we are solidified again, we are making money, we have a line-up.

“The line-up changed completely, you heard me say Juke, Qashqai, X-Trail, Ariya, e-Power, HEV, e-4orce – I mean I’ve never done that [many product rollouts] ever.

“We’re super happy and we need to continue deploying electrification, building the technical blocks and then what you say [sports cars] will come.”

Here in Australia, only one Nismo model is currently available – the Z priced at $94,000 before on-road costs.

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