Electrification “makes it easier” to bring sports cars back to market with strict emissions regulations
Nissan is set to expand its range of high-end Nismo models in the UK, including a return of sports cars and tuned versions of key mainstream cars.
The Japanese company recently confirmed that it will launch the Ariya Nismo in Europe early next year as the new performance-oriented flagship electric SUV.
It is also the first model to bear the brand name in the region since the GT-R Nismo was withdrawn from sale due to increasingly stringent emissions regulations.
The Z sports car has also never been sold in the UK because it does not meet emissions regulations, but Nissan’s head of global product strategy Ivan Espinosa confirmed to Autocar that electrification will allow such models to be sold here.
“The future interpretation of our really high-performance cars will probably be electrified, not only because of our brand direction, but also because geographical regulations are pushing us in that direction,” he said. “It’s clearly the area where we need to go [towards].”
Espinosa added: “You can also imagine that some of our key brand names will have a Nismo version, because that’s a way of bringing Nismo excitement to more customers. Those are the key elements we’ll be playing with for Nismo in the future.”
Last year, Nissan previewed an electrified future for the GT-R with its wild Hyper Force concept.
Asked whether a potential production version of that car would reach the UK, Espinosa said: “The fact that it’s electric will help: by making electrified sports cars it becomes easier to bring them to many markets that are now limited.”
Speaking specifically about the British market, Espinosa said: “There are a lot of enthusiasts in the UK and it is in our hearts to bring sports cars back to the UK.”
The Ariya Nismo is the first to wear the badge of Nissan’s motorsports division, but Espinosa gave no indication as to which mainstream electric models might be next to get the Nismo treatment. However, he did insist that any models that do get it would be focused on performance.
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