Nissan has hit back after being accused of using artificial intelligence to generate images of its new Sentra V-Spec Concept, which has been unveiled with a turbocharged 223kW motor, plenty of Nismo gear and a six-speed manual transmission.

It didn’t take long for Nissan’s official images of the concept to generate controversy, with some motoring outlets insinuating that the brand didn’t use genuine photography in its launch announcement and instead turned to AI. 

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Questions were raised about some of the details in the pics, like the Nissan nameplate just under the bonnet, the C pillar, the rear door glass and even the lug nuts and Sparco logos on the racing-style seatbelts. 

Nissan released the following statement in response: “The Sentra Spec-V Concept is a physical vehicle that was photographed in a real-world garage setting. During post-production, Al-assisted editing tools were used to create and refine elements of the image backgrounds. In that process, unintended inaccuracies were introduced to some vehicle details in the published images.

“We’re working with our creative partners to replace the affected assets with corrected imagery, and we appreciate the feedback that brought the issue to our attention. We regret any confusion the edited images may have caused.”

Due to make its debut at the famous SEMA car show in Las Vegas from November 3, the concept is a high-performance reimagining of the Sentra SE-R that became a favourite with American petrolheads in the early 2000s.    

Now the Sentra – which was briefly sold as the Pulsar in Australia – is getting a major modern upgrade, with the addition of that 2.0-litre turbo mill increasing grunt from less than 110kW to 223kW, thanks to upgraded internals including JE pistons, new rods, and a Garrett front-mount intercooler to go with the Garrett snail.

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The six-speed gearbox is lifted from the NISMO Juke RS, the rear spoiler is a NISMO item from the R35 GT-R, plus it gets NISMO front seats and steering wheel, NISMO Sentra coilovers and Brembo brakes from the R35 Godzilla. There are even racing-style five-point harnesses.

There’s a snowflake’s chance in hell of the Sentra Spec-V making it into production, but Nissan high-performance fans can also console themselves with the two other concepts the brand is bringing to SEMA (pictured above): the Project NAT2 SCCA Touring 2Z, which is basically a race-ready 400Z, and the Datsun S30 Concept, a twin-turbo restomod.