Australia’s first Nismo Performance Centre to open this weekend
One of the first Nismo Performance Centres outside of Japan is about to open in Australia, and the brand’s boss is sticking with plans for more across the country.
Australia’s affiliation with high-performance Nissans is about to be turbocharged, with the first local Nismo Performance Centre launching in Melbourne this weekend.
Announced in May, the centre – running out of Ferntree Gully Nissan – will be able to supply Nismo parts not readily available to the Australian public, as well as partial and full-vehicle restorations, the Nismo Performance Centre is backed by the head Nismo Omori Factory, and will work in partnership with the overseas base.
With a sold-out launch event slated for October 4, Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette told Torquecafe the level of anticipation for the Nismo Performance Centre has reflected the love for Nissan’s hero products in Australia.
“[There’s been] lots of anticipation, lots of positive feedback,” Milette said.
“We get customers that reach out to us directly, they have ideas and projects, and I think that's the beauty of a brand like Nissan in Australia.
“It’s the level of support and enthusiasts that you have [for] the Z, the GT-R, even Patrol, some of these nameplates are legendary, and there’s a very, very strong following.
“We're really looking forward to this first grand opening, and then hopefully we can expand across the country. Keep it small, but have sufficient coverage across the country.”
When the initial announcement was made in May, Nissan said it was planning a rollout in other Australian cities such as Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, something which is very much still on the cards.
“We've got dealers that have their hands up, obviously that they want to be the selected dealer in whatever location,” Milette added.
“We need to make sure we have geographical representation, but you want to keep it very tight.”
As previously reported Australia’s Nismo Performance Centre won’t be exclusive to buyers of Nissan vehicles officially sold locally, with the long history of ‘grey imports’ (such as the Silvia, Stagea, and R33/R34) brought here inspiring Nissan to open its doors to its cars of all origins.
While the focus of the Nismo performance centres will be on its classic performance models, the Z Nismo remains the only vehicle on sale in Australia which currently wears the brand’s name, with other products “under consideration” but not locked in.
Globally, the Nismo vehicles lineup extends to the Patrol (Middle East, Japan and North America as the Armada), the Note (Japan), X-Trail (Japan), and Ariya (Europe).
