Nissan considers expanding Nismo range to include utes and SUVs

Buyers in North America may soon have access to a wider range of sporty Nissan models, with a company executive revealing it is "having lots of discussions" about how to expand its Nismo range in the US.

Takao Katagiri, Global CEO of Nismo, told Japanese media the performance arm of Nissan was considering new variants based on SUVs and utes, according to Automotive News.

“When we look at the US market and what our competitors are doing there, I think there is a possibility [for Nismo] in the crossover and [pick-up] truck segments going forward,” Katagiri said.

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Toyota has been rolling out GR-Sport versions of its vehicles recently – typically adding bolder visual cues borrowed from its Gazoo Racing performance division.

Mitsubishi has also signalled its intention to bring back the Ralliart name to its line-up, starting with the Triton ute.

Katagiri’s comments were reportedly made at the launch of the 2022 Nissan Note Aura Nismo – a hotted-up version of a Japanese-market hybrid hatchback.

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While nothing has been officially confirmed by the manufacturer, Japanese media outlet Creative Trend has suggested models under consideration include the Rogue SUV and Armada four-wheel-drive – badged in Australia as the X-Trail and Patrol respectively.

The Armada would be an obvious choice, given the 2021 Nissan Patrol Nismo is already offered in some Middle-Eastern markets.

The vehicle gets a body kit with deeper bumper bars, an Alcantara interior in red and black, 22-inch alloy wheels, Bilstein shocks tuned by Nismo engineers, and a power bump.

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The Navara’s North American sibling, the Frontier pick-up, is also said to be a candidate for a Nismo makeover.

Like the hybrid Note Aura hatchback, it’s likely a Nismo version of a Nissan SUV or ute would be more of a visual upgrade, adding aggressive exterior cues and sportier interior features, rather than being a full fat performance variant.

The Japanese carmaker currently offers the Nismo-badged R35 GT-R and 370Z in the US, with rumours suggesting the recently-unveiled Nissan Z coupe will follow.