Επίσημο: H Nissan επιστρέφει στο Le Mans το 2014, η Nismo άνοιξε νέα κεντρικά γραφεία

Η Nissan ανακοίνωσε επίσημα ότι επιστρέφει στο Le Mas με νέο αγωνιστικό, μετά την απόσυρση του Deltawing, το οποίο θα κατασκευαστεί με τη βοήθεια της Nismo και θα διαθέτει και ηλεκτροκινητήρα, ενώ μέσα στα επόμενα χρόνια θα παρουσιάσει και ένα LMP1 αγωνιστικό.

Στις σχετικές ειδήσεις, η Nismo ανακοίνωσε ότι άνοιξε τα νέα της κεντρικά γραφεία και κέντρο έρευνας και ανάπτυξης στη Yokohama της Ιαπωνίας. Στα σχέδια της Nismo περιλαμβάνουν την ανάπτυξη μιας μεγάλης γκάμας προσιτών αυτοκινήτων επιδόσεων, ενώ φυσικά δεν θα μπορούσε να λείπει και το GT-R Nismo. Μέχρι σήμερα έχουν παρουσιαστεί τα Juke Nismo και 370Z Nismo.

Στα νέα κεντρικά γραφεία, τα οποία βρίσκονται μέσα στο Powertrain Engineering complex της Nissan εργάζονται 180 υπάλληλοι, με την συνολική έκταση τους να είναι διπλάσια σε σχέση με αυτή των προηγούμενων γραφείων.

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[Πηγή: Nissan]

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NISSAN POISED FOR RETURN TO LE MANS IN 2014

• Nissan is targeting a return to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 with a pioneering Nissan race car showcasing electric technology
• Project will be led by Nismo, Nissan’s global motorsport and performance arm
• Le Mans project follows the pioneering Nissan DeltaWing experimental racer which took the motorsport world by storm at the 2012 Le Mans event

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Feb. 26, 2013) – Nissan will return to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 with an innovative project that promises to continue the pioneering spirit of last year’s award-winning Nissan DeltaWing experimental entry.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn made the pledge to return to Le Mans during a special event today in Yokohama, Japan, to open a new headquarters for Nismo, Nissan’s global performance and motorsport brand.

Ghosn hinted that a new approach to innovation and excitement will be at the project’s core, while confirming that the company will return as the Garage 56 entry for innovative concepts with an all-new race car incorporating electric technology.

The entry will test innovative new powertrain technology and provide the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) with data to enable all parties to evaluate the incorporation of this breakthrough technology ahead of a potential return to LMP1 in the future.

“We will return to Le Mans with a vehicle that will act as a high-speed test bed in the harshest of environments for both our road car and race car electric vehicle technology,” said Mr. Ghosn.

Ghosn’s revelation promises a continued commitment from Nissan to performance and motorsport innovation – and a bold ambition to change expectations of what is possible in performance.

Nissan will reveal further details behind the new project in the near future.

For further information, media material and your regional media contacts, visit: www.nissan-live.com/nismoglobal.

NISSAN LAUNCHES NEW ERA FOR NISMO AS GLOBAL PERFORMANCE ROAD CAR AND MOTORSPORT BRAND

• Redeveloped Global Headquarters in Yokohama heralds new era for Nismo
• Nismo to create a range of affordable performance Nissan models from small cars to flagship sports cars
• Juke Nismo is the first, followed by new 370Z Nismo
• New GT-R Nismo confirmed, the ultimate Nissan performance road car
• Nissan’s global motorsport program to be managed by Nismo

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Feb. 26, 2013) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today kicked off a new era for Nismo, confirming it as Nissan’s exclusive global performance road car and motorsport brand and officially opening the new Nismo global headquarters and development centre in Yokohama, Japan.

Nismo is already well-known to motorsports and performance car enthusiasts in Japan and to millions of global gaming enthusiasts. Now, Nismo is poised for accelerated global impact, enhancing Nissan’s reputation for innovation and excitement with a new line-up of sporty Nissan road cars.

In a special ceremony today, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn declared the new headquarters open and explained how Nismo will play an even more prominent role for the company’s performance car and motorsport activities.

“Nismo will bring new excitement to the Nissan portfolio with a broader range of affordable and innovative performance models for more markets and more people,” said Mr. Ghosn. “Whether it’s a small car or a sports car, if it’s wearing the Nismo badge it offers something special – quality, functionality, and efficiency, with Nismo’s distinctive styling, sporty handling and dynamic performance capabilities.”

The first new Nissan road car to get the Nismo treatment, the Juke Nismo, is already on sale in Europe and Japan and launches in the U.S. in the second quarter of this year.

A new version of the 370Z Nismo for European markets is the next Nismo road car, which made its world debut earlier this month and builds on the platform of Nissan’s most popular and accessible sports car.

Nissan is promising a rapid pace of introduction of even more Nismo models, at least one model every year during the Nissan Power88 period, encompassing the breadth of the Nissan road car range. This will include the flagship of Nissan’s performance and technology, the GT-R.

“It would be unthinkable for us to develop a range of Nismo road cars without including the GT-R,” said Mr. Ghosn. “The standard road car is a global supercar and the GT-R’s performance on track reflects the passion and talents of the Nismo team. The GT-R Nismo will be special and I can’t wait to drive it.”

New home for Nismo

Nissan has invested in an entirely new facility for Nismo’s operations, redeveloping a former production site to give it the resources for expanding beyond motorsport engineering to encompass performance road car development alongside Nissan.

The new headquarters facility allows the Nismo team to be co-located in one place, bringing together the functional areas for Nismo’s key activities and technical and competition expertise under one roof.

The 180-strong team is now located inside Nissan’s Powertrain Engineering complex. The workshop, engine shop, rooms for fabrication, grinding and carbon composite processes are consolidated into the same floor space along with the parts warehouse. A new larger showroom allows up to eight vehicles to be displayed, while the retail area is now almost twice the size of the previous store in the Omori factory.

“This is a great move for Nismo as we can now shift gears to operate more efficiently and expand the brand globally,” explained Nismo President, Shoichi Miyatani.

“Nismo is a key element in Nissan’s future global road car and motorsports strategy and we will quickly establish it as Nissan’s exclusive performance brand,” added Mr. Miyatani. “This is the first time that all of our team has been located together, and the entire facility will become a hothouse of passion and performance.”

The Nismo spirit

At the heart of each new Nismo road car will be a consistent DNA focused on delivering quality, functionality, and efficiency in every day driving with Nismo’s distinctive styling, sporty handling and dynamic performance capabilities.

Nissan’s new range of Nismo performance road cars will be built on the same production lines as their standard counterparts, which combined with inspiration taken from decades of racing and tuning expertise means that the Nismo brand ensures fully integrated performance enhancements.

Every modification Nismo makes to a road car will be functional and targeted to improve on-road performance and presence.

The spirit of Nismo relies on its proud motorsport heritage and a maverick engineering philosophy. This spirit will be reflected in every new Nismo model with efficient performance, accessible and advanced technology, and bold, smart design, all of which embody Nissan’s philosophy of innovation that excites.

Connecting the virtual with the real

Nismo is known around the world by millions through the virtual world of driving simulation games. In fact, the first opportunity to drive a Nissan Juke Nismo was provided virtually through Gameloft’s Asphalt 7: Heat.

Now, at the same time as Nismo is moving from race track to road, it is also moving from the virtual world to the real world as, for the first time in many markets around the world, a range of affordable Nismo-badged cars will be available from Nissan dealers.

“For many would-be Nismo customers, one of the very few occasions to experience a Nismo performance road car has been through a game like Sony Computer Entertainment’s Gran Turismo^® series,” said Simon Sproule, Nissan’s corporate vice president for Marketing and Communications. “Now we can bring them into the family of Nissan owners with an exciting, real Nismo car created by a dedicated and experienced team that is fully linked to the digital world and well aware of what these new customers are looking for in a performance road car.”

Performance for the road and track

The spirit and inspiration for Nismo started with a group of maverick Nissan engineers almost fifty years ago. In their efforts to boost car sales through racing success, they shoehorned a powerful engine into an ordinary Nissan saloon to create the first of a legendary line of sporty road cars with the Nissan Skyline 2000GT.

What came next was a run of highly successful competition and performance road cars in Japan, culminating in the birth of Nismo itself in 1984.

With the digital generation, Nissan realised the power of the Nismo legend by working with game creators to create both real and virtual stars and expose a whole generation to the potential for tuning and winning in these cars. Last year alone, over 500 million virtual miles were driven in Nissan vehicles on Gran Turismo^®5 for PlayStation^®3.

Now, as Nismo accelerates to become a global performance car brand specialising in delivering affordable, exciting and innovative performance versions of Nissan cars, the lessons learned from almost half a century of racing can be applied consistently to give drivers a surprising and rewarding ownership experience.

Nismo Expands Role in Motorsport

Nismo’s new charter will also impact Nissan’s future motorsport activities, where it is expected to boldly enhance Nissan’s reputation for excitement and innovation.

Nismo is taking on global responsibility for managing Nissan’s motorsport program which includes top level competition in every region of the world.

“Nissan is committed to a variety of motorsports programs around the world from the Altima in the Australian V8 Supercars to Super GT in Japan, but we also intend to surprise people by exploring advanced forms of motorsport,” explained Mr. Miyatani. “Our experience, a spirit of pushing the boundaries even further, helps us to raise awareness of Nismo around the world, but more importantly it means we can transfer the lessons we learn into tangible benefits for our customers, whether for Nismo road cars, race cars or tuning parts.”

For further information, media material and your regional media contacts, visit: www.nissan-live.com/nismoglobal

NISSAN REVEALS EXPANDING GLOBAL MOTORSPORT PROGRAM FOR 2013, LED BY NISMO

• Nissan promises an exciting and expanded future motorsport program, led globally by Nismo
• Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn pledges a return to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 with a pioneering Nissan race car incorporating electric technology
• Expansion is key to success as Nissan makes long-awaited return to Australia’s V8 Supercars Championship with a four-car entry
• Nismo steps up GT-R assault on GT3 and SUPER GT Series, highlighted by the flagship GT-R GT500
• GT Academy continues to grow, with the latest graduates to compete in a GT-R in FIA GT Series and Blancpain Endurance Series

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Feb. 26, 2013) – Nissan today confirmed its extensive global motorsports program will continue to expand through 2013 and beyond and be led by Nismo, the company’s dedicated performance road car and motorsports arm.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn also confirmed that the company will return to the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 as the Garage 56 entry for innovative concepts with an all-new race car incorporating electric technology. The entry will test innovative new powertrain technology and provide the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) with data to enable all parties to evaluate the incorporation of this breakthrough technology ahead of a potential return to LMP1 in the future.

“We will return to Le Mans with a vehicle that will act as a high-speed test bed in the harshest of environments for both our road car and race car electric vehicle technology,” said Mr. Ghosn.

Even before this innovative and dramatic new race car breaks cover, Nismo will be hard at work supporting expanded Nissan motorsports campaigns around the globe, in an extensive effort that includes:

• A continuation of our long term focus on endurance racing led by the Nismo-engineered flagship Nissan GT-R Nismo GT-3 in the FIA GT Series and the Blancpain Endurance Series
• Nismo engines used in 17 cars at the Le Mans 24 hours. The equivalent of a third of the Le Mans starting grid
• A return to top-level Australian motorsport with a four-car entry of Nissan Altimas in the V8 Supercars Championship
• Further expansion of the GT Academy program, already a global success with competitions in Europe, Russia, the USA, South Africa and the Middle East

Return to Le Mans

During today’s opening of the new global Nismo headquarters and development center near Yokohama in Japan, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn made the pledge to return to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 in Garage 56.

Further details will be released as the project progresses, but the company is focusing on innovation and excitement, continuing the pioneering spirit of the Nissan DeltaWing; the award-winning experimental entry at Le Mans last year. The ACO has invited Nissan to fill Garage 56 in 2014 in a program that will enable all parties to gather data and evaluate new powertrains ahead of a potential return to LMP1 in the future.

More conventional Nissan power will continue to be seen at Le Mans in the meantime. The 2013 Le Mans entry list displays 17 Nissan-Nismo-powered cars, the highest entry by a manufacturer for 15 years. The Nismo-tuned Nissan VK45DE V8 engine is now firmly established as the powerplant of choice for the majority of the LMP2 teams. All cars will carry the designation ‘powered by Nissan Nismo’.

GT-R Assault

One of Nissan’s major motorsport programs is focused on Nismo-developed versions of the flagship GT-R sports car for both works and privateer customer teams.

During 2012, the GT-R won races around the world – in Japan’s SUPER GT Series (GT300 class and GT500 class) and Super Taikyu (GT3 class) and took its first victories in the British GT Championship and GT Cup.

For 2013 the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 has been further developed after last year’s successes, and the flagship Nismo-engineered GT-R GT500 version will once again compete in the SUPER GT Series.

SUPER GT Series GT500 class

Four GT500 GT-Rs using 3.4-litre V8 engines will represent the ultimate expression of Nismo and GT-R.

The 2013 GT500 GT-R has received the following modifications:

1) Aerodynamics: The rear end of the vehicle was extensively updated halfway through last season, and it proved to be a dynamic breakthrough for the GT-R. Specifically, we were able to maintain extreme levels of downforce while drastically cutting down drag via the distinctive “shark teeth” rear design and by modifying the underbody. The drivers have highly praised the effects of these changes during testing.

2) Engine: The 3.4L V-8 VRH34B engine will be used for the third straight season. We will not only try to keep maximising the engine’s output, but also strive to maximise its flexibility by modifying response and torque characteristics to match the layouts of different racetracks. Fuel efficiency will also be addressed by decreasing friction within the moving components of the drivetrain.

Kunihiko Kakimoto will continue as the Executive Team Director of the teams driving GT500 GT-Rs.

SUPER GT Series GT300 class

The Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 is used in the Super GT GT300 class. The 2013 model benefits from improved engine output and durability and brake distribution, and optimised aerodynamic performance. The suspension has also been fine-tuned to match the car’s improved aerodynamics, and the gear ratios are being revised to match the engine’s increased output.

Super Taikyu

One Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 and six Fairlady Z machines will compete in the Super Taikyu series. Three Bond Nissan Jidousha-Daigakkou GT-R team is the result of a partnership between Nissan Jidousha-Daigakkou (Nissan technical college) and Kondo racing. Students of Nissan Jidousha-Daigakkou participate in the race program as a school class.

Nissan Driver Development Program (Japan)

Nissan will continue to support two drivers who participate in National (N) class of All-Japan F3 championship and Formula challenge Japan.

Mitsunori Takaboshi will compete in All-Japan F3 championship and Kiyoto Fujinami will participate in Formula Challenge Japan.

Long-awaited Return to Australian Motorsport

In Australia, Nissan Motorsport announced earlier this month that four of its new Altima V8 Supercars will form the factory team for 2013, leading the company’s long-awaited return to Australian Motorsport – where Nissan has seen some of its most famous victories.

James Moffat and Michael Caruso will drive Nissan Altimas backed by leading Internet security company Norton by Symantec, while the familiar black and white colors of global whiskey giant Jack Daniel’s are now being worn by the other two Altimas driven by Todd Kelly and Rick Kelly.

The opening race of the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship is the Clipsal 500 at the Adelaide Parklands, March 1-3.

Nissan last competed in what was then known as the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1992, and the return places motorsport at the heart of the plan to launch the Nissan Altima model line-up in Australia later this year.

V8 Supercars Championship

Virtual meets Reality in GT Academy

Linking the skills developed in the virtual world with real-life driving experiences is familiar territory for Nissan. The hugely successful GT Academy program is the trail blazing, award winning virtual-to-reality racing competition and, after four seasons, has turned a number of talented gamers into genuine real-world motorsport stars.

Based on the Gran Turismo^®5 game for PlayStation^®3, players use a range of virtual Nissan cars on a variety of circuits. Last year alone saw over 500 million miles of virtual test drives taken in Nissan products, including Nissan Leaf, and millions of viewers in more than 160 countries have enjoyed the breakthrough TV shows that follow the Academy from PlayStation^® to Podium.

The popularity of the GT Academy concept has made it a successful global program, giving millions of gamers across the world the opportunity to fulfill their motorsport dreams. Competitions are run across Europe and in Russia, the USA, South Africa and the Middle East, with further geographical expansion plans underway.

Winning GT Academy is a passport to a career in global motorsport, and in 2013 the newest graduates are set to focus on the Blancpain Endurance Series in a pair of Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 cars.

The four graduates are Wolfgang Reip (2012 European winner from Belgium), Mark Shulzhitskiy (2012 Russian winner), Peter Pyzera (2012 German winner) and Steve Doherty (2012 U.S. winner).

The full programs for all of the GT Academy winners who have graduated to become “Nismo Athletes” will be announced soon. Nissan will also enter the revitalised FIA GT Series with the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3, after the rejection of their entry to the British GT Championship for being ‘too fast’.

A Strong Team

A philosophy of “Innovation that Excites” and a strong global leadership team highlight just how important competitive success is to Nissan’s future plans on and off the track.

Darren Cox, Nissan’s Director for Global Motorsports and the global lead for the company’s numerous racing programs said: “Nissan sees Motorsport as a key element in building our brand globally. Our focus is providing Motorsport fans access to our Innovative and Exciting programs from around the world from V8 Supercars to SUPER GT in Japan and the global sensation that is GT Academy. These will be complemented by surprises on and off track as we explore more innovative approaches to motorsport.”

At the heart of all of Nissan’s global motorsport programs is Nismo, the dedicated team that is now being strengthened with its newly opened headquarters and global responsibility for a new range of Nismo-badged performance road cars. Starting with the Juke Nismo, the range includes the 370Z Nismo and, in development, a new GT-R Nismo supercar that will be the ultimate road-ready flagship for the Nissan range.

Nismo President Shoichi Miyatani said: “Nismo is a key element in Nissan’s future global road car and motorsports strategy and we will quickly establish it as Nissan’s exclusive performance brand. This is the first time that all of our team has been located together and the entire facility will become a hothouse of passion and performance, and our talented engineers can stretch boundaries to create some new heroes.”

For further information, media material and your regional media contacts, visit: www.nissan-live.com/nismoglobal

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