GT-R look for upgraded 370Z NISMO

Nissan has revealed an upgraded 370Z NISMO, just as it said it would on Friday, but has delayed the Australian launch of its performance sub-brand until next year.

Available to purchase in the US from July, the 2015 370Z NISMO features a new bodykit inspired by the GT-R, new wheels, retuned suspension, an enhanced interior with exclusive new Alcantara-clad Racaro sports seats, satellite-navigation and a reversing camera.

For the first time, the 370Z NISMO also comes with the option of a (seven-speed) automatic transmission with downshift rev-matching and steering wheel paddle shifters, alongside the standard six-speed manual.

There are no mechanical changes, meaning the 370Z NISMO continues with the same 261kW/374Nm 3.7-litre V6 – up 13kW and 8Nm over the standard US-spec 370Z.

Nissan’s hottest Z-car is now distinguished by a downsized bootlid spoiler, LED ‘hyper’ daytime running lights, a larger front air intake and brake cooling vents, plus red highlights on the front chin spoiler, side sills and rear bumper to match those on the side mirrors.

Lower, firmer suspension, a strut tower brace, bigger brakes and an interior featuring red trim stitching and NISMO badging continue to be part of the 370Z NISMO package, which made it global debut at the annual ‘ZDAYZ’ gathering of Nissan, Datsun and NISMO enthusiasts in North Carolina over the weekend.

Nissan Australia Corporate Communications General Manager, Peter Fadayev, said the 370Z NISMO will not be available here for now, but that NISMO "remains under consideration for Australia".

However, Nissan Australia’s new managing director, Richard Emery, confirmed to motoring.com.au over the weekend that the NISMO brand would not be launched here this year, as previously indicated by NISMO President, Shoichi Miyatani.

Emery, who met with Miyatani-san in Japan last week, said NISMO’s Australian launch was delayed amid an extraordinarily busy period for Nissan Australia, which last month appointed him as new MD and in recent months launched the new Altima, Pathfinder, Almera and X-TRAIL.

Nissan’s next redesigned model will be the Qashqai (nee Dualis) in July, followed about six months later by the all-new Navara, and redesigned Murano and Maxima models next year.

Asked if NISMO would be launched here this year, Emery – who was previously the sales chief for Mercedes-Benz – said: “Probably not.

“But I will answer that by saying that I have just come from a manufacturer that has been very successful and it (AMG) is part of what makes that brand what it is and I don’t understand why you (Nissan) wouldn’t be doing the same thing.

“I’d like to add the NISMO arrow to our quiver. (But) Basically because of everything else that was going on it was kind of put on hold, in terms of the work being done behind the scenes.

“The work behind the scenes is back on again, but what that means in terms of timeline I don’t know -- I don’t understand the implications.

“Everything was put to one side so does that mean it takes six months to fire back up again or nine months or whatever else?

“I am putting significant interest into what we do with it.”

Nissan’s global product planning chief Andy Palmer told motoring.com.au at last month’s New York motor show that an Australian NISMO launch was a matter of when, not if.

“It (NISMO) is a global direction. Do we impose it on every market? That is a conversation that we are currently having with that particular market (Australia), but to be frank we wouldn’t entertain being in the V8 (Supercar) series if we didn’t think there would be an opportunity to bring NISMO at some moment.

“NISMO is working very closely with the Aussie V8 series, so it intrinsically involves learning about those markets, so I think it is fair to say that at some time NISMO will come to Australia.”

Palmer said two tiers of NISMO vehicles – S and RS, like Audi -- will be offered for most models.

“With NISMO we’re fortunate enough to have the asset where you have true racing credibility. And matching the NISMO credibility with the higher-end sports cars makes a lot of sense.

“So wherever we’ve got a segment where we think it makes sense – like the 370Z, like JUKE, like Micra, like GT-R – we’ve systematically brought out two levels of Nismo: the S, which is basically mostly about ride and handling and not so much about power... it’s about extracting more excitement out of [the cars]; then there’s RS, which is basically about the addition of more horsepower.”

Emery said the flagship GT-R NISMO, which is billed as the world’s fastest production car, was a certainty for Australia once the brand was launched here.

“I think the intention was always once we could get access to the build that we would offer that car – we just haven’t got around to that point,” he said.

However, as Nissan has always stated, Emery said the NISMO brand would be launched here with a multi-car model range, at least including the GT-R, 370Z and JUKE.