Nissan Australia says it’s keen to expand the range of Nismo performance models offered, which could mean sporty versions of its SUV lineup in the near-future.
Speaking with CarAdvice at the local launch for the 2018 Qashqai, Nissan Australia CEO, Stephen Lester, said the local division is keen to increase its number of Nismo-branded offerings considering our market’s strong take-up of performance vehicles.
“What’s exciting from a Nissan perspective is that we’ve recently launched the Nismo brand here, and I would say this is probably more the direction that you would see us go from being able to capture some of that high-performance model influence,” he said.
“We’d like to see Nismo expanded throughout the line-up from both a performance feature basis and also from an option and cosmetics standpoint.”
Above: Nissan 370Z Nismo
Meanwhile, Lester said the Nismo brand will be kept separate from cosmetic accessory packages – like the recent N-Sport editions of the Juke, X-Trail and Navara.
“N-Sport is a way of drawing out a little bit more sporty performance and cosmetic features before you get into full-on Nismo performance packages,” he said.
“We will continue in creating special editions, but also supporting further development in Nismo product across the portfolio.”
Currently, the only models available under Nissan’s performance arm are the 370Z and GT-R Nismos, which retail from $61,490 and $299,000 plus on-road costs respectively.
It’s unclear which models are next in line for the Nismo treatment locally, though there is a Sentra (Pulsar) Nismo sold in the States, along with a Nismo version of the Japanese-market Serena people mover.
One candidate is the new Nissan Leaf electric hatchback, which was previewed with a sexy Nismo concept earlier this year (above).
Which Nissan models would you like to see get the Nismo treatment?
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