Nissan going full throttle on Nismo performance models

The automaker said its Re:Nissan product strategy will feature “heartbeat models” to define the company’s brand DNA.

Nissan Armada Nismo side vent — *The Nissan Armada Nismo, shown here, is just the beginning of Nissan’s plans to launch more performance vehicles. – Nissan Canada photo*

Nissan intends to define its brand DNA with what it calls “heartbeat models,” vehicles that elicit emotion.

A key part of that will be to double the number of Nismo performance models the company offers.

Nissan currently has five such vehicles, though not all of them are available in Canada, but the plan is to increase that number to 10.

We’ve already seen a glimpse of this plan when Nissan launched the Armada Nismo model, a performance version of its prodigious three-row SUV.

The plan to offer more Nismo models is part of the company’s Re:Nissan product strategy, intended to drive brand growth once again.

The automaker and Nissan Motorsports & Customization Co., Ltd., which integrates Nissan’s motorsports activities and oversees the Nismo brand, jointly announced a series of initiatives to enhance the Nissan brand.

These initiatives include more motorsports activities, including involvement in top-tier racing series such as Super GT and Formula E.

But it also includes road-going sports cars wearing the Nismo badge (NISMO in Nissan speak).

Nissan hopes to increase annual Nismo sales from today’s 100,000 per year to 150,000 by 2028, with a big part of that increase planned in overseas markets (that includes us in North America).

Nissan is also open to collaborations with other brands to expand the Nismo lineup. Other brands have done just that sort of thing, particularly Toyota in recent years, with its joint development of sports cars with Subaru (Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ) and BMW (Toyota GR Supra/BMW Z4), and it appears Nissan hopes to do something like that too.

Starting in fiscal year 2026, Nissan intends to introduce prototype vehicles for racing, which will speed up technological advancements in hardware and software.

*Nissan will unveil a Nismo concept vehicle in January. – Nissan Canada photo*

Nismo concept to be unveiled in January

The company plans to unveil a Nismo concept vehicle at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 in January. You can see the teaser image of that vehicle above.

There will be other sporty models shown at the Tokyo event, including an updated Fairlady Z, (just Z here), which will include, for the first time, a Nismo version with a manual transmission.

The company will also showcase a Leaf electric crossover as part of the company’s Autech models, being both sporty and luxurious, and there will be other sporty vehicle versions as well.

Heritage and restoration

Nissan Motorsports & Customization (NMC) will also grow its restoration, restomod and parts sales businesses with a focus on expanding offerings of Skyline GT-R R32, R33 and R34 models.

“Nismo continues to elevate the excitement and innovation of Nissan vehicles. Moving forward, we aim to infuse our passion and driven excitement into Nissan’s other product lines,” NMC president and CEO Yutaka Sanada said in a news release.