Nissan Expands Nismo Performance Business

Nissan Motor Co. has created a new business unit to help grow its Nismo performance sub-brand.

Nismo Cars Business Department will be part of Autech Japan Inc., which is the carmaker’s in-house tuner division. The new unit will be staffed by current employees from Autech, Nissan and Nissan Motor Sports International.

Under the new business, Nissan plans to expand the Nismo lineup into more segments. The current offerings in the U.S. are limited to Nismo-tuned variants of the Juke crossover, Sentra sedan and GT-R and 370Z sports cars. Nissan previously has hinted it is considering a dedicated Nismo supercar.

The company also expects the new structure will help accelerate product development. Nissan launched the performance nameplate in 2013 and sold 15,000 Nismo-badged vehicles worldwide last year.