Amid a drop in sales and increasing competition from new Chinese players in the market, Nissan is leaning into its heritage in Australia, putting owners of its beloved models in the spotlight.
Today Nissan Australia announced it will open a dedicated ‘Nismo Performance Centre’ in Melbourne, becoming one of the first places outside of Japan to be linked directly back to the performance division’s head operations.
Specialising in supplying 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.
Set to operate out of Nissan’s Ferntree Gully dealership – which has long been a hotbed of sales for the brand’s performance vehicles – an opening in the second half of 2026 is targeted, before a planned rollout in other cities such as Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
“Nismo’s global expansion is about bringing the brand closer to customers in the right markets, with the right products, services and experiences,” said Yakuta Sanada, President and CEO of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing (NMC) and global head of Nismo.
“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.”
Nismo announced plans to grow its existing restoration, restomod and parts businesses in December last year, and though the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32, R33 and R34) is its initial focus, it has said it’ll open to more vehicles in the future.
The Australian 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.
“Nismo represents one of the most authentic expressions of Nissan’s passion for performance, innovation and customer excitement,” said global Nissan president and CEO, Ivan Espinosa.
“The expansion of the NISMO brand in markets such as Australia is an important step in bringing exciting experiences to customers who value performance and authenticity.”
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.
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