Nissan and NISMO Announce Plans for Expansion

Nissan has a long, proud history in motorsport, which began with a victory in 1958 at the 10,000-mile Round Australia Trial with a Datsun 210. Peter Brock’s BRE Datsun program brought success to America with SCCA dominance throughout the late 1960s and early ’70s. The 1984 founding of Nissan Motorsports International, or NISMO, sharpened Nissan’s efforts to a fine point, and over the next several decades we saw Nissans competing at the sharp end of the grid in motorsports as diverse as Group C endurance racing, GT and touring cars, rallying, and Baja-style off-road events. And with the company’s on-track successes, NISMO performance parts trickled down to the company’s production cars.

Performance enthusiasts take note, then, because in an effort to add more verve to its current lineup, Nissan announced yesterday that is launching new initiatives aimed at enhancing the brand through new motorsport activities and by growing the NISMO lineup.

According to a press release shared on the company’s global newsroom, this will include the introduction of new prototype performance cars for racing as well as to “accelerate technological advancements in both hardware and software development for racing purpose and car lineup expansion.” This initiative is set to begin in 2026. 

Further, for 2026, the company aims to increase the number of NISMO-branded offerings, which currently includes vehicles such as the Z NISMO, Armada NISMO in the U.S. And by 2028, Nissan plans to increase the volume of NISMO vehicles from approximately 100,000 to 150,000. “In pursuit of added customer value,” the statement says, “Nissan will actively consider collaborations with external partners to expand its NISMO car lineup business.” No further information is provided, so we’ll have to see how that shakes out. 

With more than just a focus on new performance cars, Nissan is also doubling down on its restoration and heritage efforts. To that end, Nissan Motorsports & Customization Co. (NMC) “will grow its restoration, restomod, and parts sales businesses, with an initial focus on expanding around the Skyline GT‑R R32, R33, and R34, with more vehicles and regional offerings to follow.” As more and more of these hot JDM machines hit the market, increased factory renovation efforts can only help from a brand identity standpoint, as well as from the perspectives of preservation and values. 

We’ve commented recently that these are turbulent times for Nissan, but the tone of yesterday’s release carries a lot of excitement. A bigger selection of high-performance Nissans, more actively engaged in global motorsport, with an eye on heritage preservation, to boot, bodes well for the company and its loyal fans.