Nissan has big plans for Nismo High-performance division to get more involved in Nissan's road cars

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Nissan will considerably expand the role of its high-performance and motor sports division, Nismo, making it the equivalent of BMW's M program.

Having excelled on race tracks around the world for more than 25 years, Nismo transferred its expertise and magic touch to certain key models including the Nissan Z. In the future, many other production models will receive the Nismo treatment.

Photo: Nissan

The process has already started, actually. Expect cars such as the Nissan Juke Nismo Concept, unveiled this week at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, to appear in dealer showrooms sooner or later.

"The time is now right to let ordinary drivers experience what our racing drivers enjoy every time they head out onto the track,'' said Carlos Ghosn, Nissan President and CEO. ''We aim to bring Nismo's passion and focus on driving excitement to mainstream models, and the Juke Nismo Concept shows what we can do.''