NISSAN is promising a bright future for its performance arm – and first out of the blocks is the Juke Nismo.
Still a concept at present, the model – revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show - is a strong hint at how a premium sports version of the successful compact crossover could look.
A major expansion programme will see Nismo, the Japanese company's performance branch, apply its tuning and performance expertise learned on the racetrack to Nissan’s road cars.
And in the case of the high performance Juke concept, that means Nismo's signature colour scheme of pearl white with red highlights, performance tuning for the suspension, more power from the 1.6-litre direct injection turbo engine and an aerodynamic body kit.
Nismo - the name is derived from Nissan Motorsports International - has long been a respected performer on world racetracks.
In fact this year Nismo-developed Nissan GT-R racecars have won the Drivers' and Team titles in Japan's SUPER GT championship and also took the Drivers' title in the FIA GT1 World Championship.
Nismo-developed engines won their class in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the company has also developed the zero emission LEAF Nismo RC, which heralds a new era of eco-friendly motor sport.
But the company's road car activities have, until now, been restricted to halo performance cars like the Z series in a small number of markets. That is about to change.
"Nismo has carved out an enviable reputation in motor racing," said Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn. “In 2011, Nismo cars and engines won in every category they competed in, the first time we have achieved this milestone.
"The time is now right to let ordinary drivers experience what our racing drivers enjoy every time they head out onto the track. We aim to bring Nismo's passion and focus on driving excitement to mainstream models, and the Juke Nismo concept shows what we can do."
As well as producing performance versions of Nissan models, the company plans to expand its range of performance parts and accessories while another element of the expansion programme will see Nismo relocate to a new global headquarters in Yokohama at the start of 2013.