The demand exceeds the offer
The hype around the GT-R has led to a much stronger demand than what Nissan had originally planned. "For 2008, Nissan Canada only has 150 units. Yet, we're 149 dealers across the country, said Mr. Lemire. As you can imagine, a lot of people are scratching their heads, especially since all current-production models have already found takers."
He then added: "The GT-R is a mythical car with a long tradition. Because of this, it represents a unique marketing opportunity that we must exploit wisely. We could sell a lot more, but the assembly plant just wouldn't be able to keep up."
South of the border, Nissan allocated a little over 1,700 GT-Rs to American dealers.
The rich tradition of the Nissan GT-R includes success in numerous races, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Japanese GT Championship, as well as a long lineage of production models, none of which has been sold in North America.
Still, young auto enthusiasts are drooling over this car. "That's because these kids have all driven the GT-R at some point, not with a steering wheel but rather with a game pad," explained Mr. Lemire. Video games indeed allowed the Nissan GT-R to become highly popular among the North American youth, much like the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO.
A select group of dealers
Due to the limited number of units available, the GT-R can only be purchased from a select group of dealers across Canada. Right now, twenty-one are "GT-R Certified". The selection is based on sales volumes, service quality and facilities. These dealers employ skilled technicians with a special training on the GT-R. They're all located in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary as well as the Greater Toronto and Montreal areas.
A threat to Porsches and Ferraris
In case you didn't know, the 2009 Nissan GT-R boasts a 3.8L twin-turbo V6 producing 480 horsepower and 430 pounds-feet of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds.
Mated to a 6-speed twin-clutch gearbox, this Japanese supercar is Nissan's first-ever product to feature the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system with an independent rear-mounted transaxle integrating the transmission, differential and transfer case. This makes for optimum weight distribution.
Pricing for the 2009 Nissan GT-R starts at $81,900 CAD.
photo:Matthieu Lambert, Nissan
The hype around the GT-R has led to a much stronger demand than what Nissan had originally planned. "For 2008, Nissan Canada only has 150 units. Yet, we're 149 dealers across the country, said Mr. Lemire. As you can imagine, a lot of people are scratching their heads, especially since all current-production models have already found takers."
He then added: "The GT-R is a mythical car with a long tradition. Because of this, it represents a unique marketing opportunity that we must exploit wisely. We could sell a lot more, but the assembly plant just wouldn't be able to keep up."
South of the border, Nissan allocated a little over 1,700 GT-Rs to American dealers.
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| The first GT-R delivered to it's Quebec owner: (from l. to r.) John Hayem, Spinelli Nissan new vehicle sales manager, Jack, the owner, Jean-Luc Lemire, Nissan Canada regional sales operations manager, and Ronald Spinelli, Spinelli Nissan general manager. |
The rich tradition of the Nissan GT-R includes success in numerous races, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Japanese GT Championship, as well as a long lineage of production models, none of which has been sold in North America.
Still, young auto enthusiasts are drooling over this car. "That's because these kids have all driven the GT-R at some point, not with a steering wheel but rather with a game pad," explained Mr. Lemire. Video games indeed allowed the Nissan GT-R to become highly popular among the North American youth, much like the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO.
A select group of dealers
Due to the limited number of units available, the GT-R can only be purchased from a select group of dealers across Canada. Right now, twenty-one are "GT-R Certified". The selection is based on sales volumes, service quality and facilities. These dealers employ skilled technicians with a special training on the GT-R. They're all located in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary as well as the Greater Toronto and Montreal areas.
A threat to Porsches and Ferraris
In case you didn't know, the 2009 Nissan GT-R boasts a 3.8L twin-turbo V6 producing 480 horsepower and 430 pounds-feet of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds.
Mated to a 6-speed twin-clutch gearbox, this Japanese supercar is Nissan's first-ever product to feature the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system with an independent rear-mounted transaxle integrating the transmission, differential and transfer case. This makes for optimum weight distribution.
Pricing for the 2009 Nissan GT-R starts at $81,900 CAD.
photo:Matthieu Lambert, Nissan
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