Now that most Japanese automakers have been building cars for more than half a century, some of their most iconic vehicles are getting quite old. For instance, the R32 generation of the Skyline GT-R R32 is nearly 40 years old. It’s actually about the same age today, as the very first Corvette was when it came out. So, these companies are beginning to provide new parts and services focused on these cars. Nissan even has special service centers in Japan.
Now, Nissan is finally opening up these centers outside its home country.
Nissan GT-R R32 from the side at Nissan Performance Center Ferntree GullyNissan
Nismo Opens Up Down Under
The first of these non-Japanese specialty shops, called Nismo Performance Centers, is opening up in Australia. The first location is in Ferntree Gully, Victoria, which is just outside Melbourne, near the southern tip of the continent. Of course, you’re probably wondering why exactly Nissan chose Australia for its first overseas Nismo Performance Center. The man in charge of Nismo globally, Yutaka Sanada, has an answer.
“Our focus is on bringing the brand closer to customers in the right markets, with the right products, services, and experiences. Australia is a natural priority because of its mature performance culture, strong GT-R community, and clear appetite for authentic Nismo heritage, performance parts, technical expertise, and motorsport-driven experiences.”-Head of Nismo Yutaka Sanada
We would guess another major factor is that Nissan has been operating in Australia for a long time, and it has offered many of its special models, including multiple generations of GT-R, in the country. So, there are people there with the cars that Nismo Performance Centers cater to. Those services will include restoration and performance parts from Nismo, plus maintenance, repair, and restoration services, all provided by Nissan and Nismo experts.
This won’t be the only Nismo Performance Center in Australia, either. The automaker has already said that more will be coming. Exactly how many has yet to be seen, but Nissan has nearly 30 centers in Japan alone. However, Japan has a population nearly 100 million greater than that of Australia.
What Are The Odds Of Nissan Opening One In America?
We could certainly see a future in which Nissan opens one of these specialty shops in the US, but we wouldn’t expect one anytime soon. Nismo has only been active in the US since 2003, and at the time it just offered parts. It wasn’t until a few years later that the first new Nismo-branded Nissan hit American lots with the 2005 Nissan Frontier Nismo and then the 2007 350Z Nismo. American didn’t even get its first GT-R until 2009. The US just doesn’t have the same kind of density of vehicles that Nismo specializes in that a country like Australia or Japan does.
At the same time, because many of the old desirable Nissans Nismo supports are, in fact, old, they’re now legal to import to the US. The earliest R34 GT-Rs became legal in the last couple of years. So, even though the US doesn’t have a huge number of GT-Rs and other odd Nismo models from the homeland, that will likely go up. GT-Rs are also becoming quite valuable, and there will almost certainly be owners willing to send a car to a specialist, even across the country, for restoration or other special services.
Nismo RB26DETT engine at Nissan Performance Center in Ferntree GullyNissan
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Nissan seems to be taking its Nismo division more seriously and expanding its operations. In addition to growing its historic parts and service business, we may be seeing more impressive Nismo vehicles in America. Nissan’s head of US product planning, Ponz Pandikuthira has talked about ensuring Nismo offers truly high-performance vehicles here, rather than creating lightly updated versions of nearly every model like in Japan. Though we do worry that we might not see any affordable Nismos if that’s the case.
Regardless, we’re happy to see Nissan paying more attention to its enthusiasts with both new and old models, and look forward to seeing what else it can deliver.
