#nismo

Nissan has announced that it’ll return to the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours with an innovative project showcasing electric technology.

There will be an even hotter version of the cult-followed GT-R tuned by Nissan’s Nismo performance arm in the next 12 months.

Nissan will announce details on February 26 surrounding its Nismo performance arm.

Nissan‘s in-house tuning company has touched up the brand’s smallest crossover, and the finished product will be heading to dealerships very soon.

Unveiled today at the Chicago Auto Show, Nissan pulled the wraps off its latest NISMO-tuned products, including the Juke and the updated 2014 370Z.

Nissan is really building the Leaf NISMO it brought to the recent Tokyo Auto Salon.

It might seem silly after learning the output specifications on the Juke NISMO, but there’s a finer-tuned version on the way.

With the growing popularity of the Scion FR-S and the Subaru BRZ, it’s easy to forget that Nissan has its own rear-wheel drive sports car that also handles beautifully when pushed to the limits.

Last year, Nissan announced that it had plans to expand its NISMO subsidiary, transforming it into a more mainstream performance brand – similar to what Lexus has done with its F-Sport line.

The 2012 Paris Motor Show is coming up fast, and today Nissan announced that the Juke NISMO will be unveiled as the first vehicle in a string of NISMO tuned performance vehicles.

Scheduled to sell in Europe at the beginning of next year, but without a Japanese or North American release date, the Nissan Juke NISMO will make its debut this weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Nissan is looking to expand its Nismo offerings in the near future, with the addition of ‘RS’ packages that will be seen first on the next-generation Z model.

Money goes a long way in this word, but having a title (and money) goes even further. We’re not taking about Doctor, or CEO. No, special privileges really abound when you’re royalty.

Recently,  Nissan and NISMO announced its 2012 global motorsports program along with a video highlighting the joint companies past years of success.

For the 2012 season, the Japanese automaker will make their presence known worldwide in racing, competing in both the GT300 and GT500 classes in Super GT, in the European Le Mans Series, continue their support for the GT Academy program and endorse several series in North America including the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

Four GT-Rs in total will compete in the Super GT GT500 class, fielded by MOLA, NISMO, Team Impul, and Kondo Racing. But more interesting is the GT-R competing in the GT300 class, where vehicles are limited to just 300-hp and will be fielding the likes of the Toyota Prius, Honda CR-Z, and Subaru BR-Z this year. And while the GT500 GT-R is powered by a V8, the GT300 GT-R will be more like the road vehicle but restricted down to 300-hp.

In America, Nissan will have their 370Z competing in the GS Class of the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series; while the Altima Coupe will be seen in the ST Class. In the Pirelli World Challenge, a GT-R will be driven by Mike Skeen in the GT Class, while Rick Bushey, Greg Shaffer, and Brian Kleeman will be competing in the GTS Class behind the wheel of a 370Z.

We will also see the Nissan Titan and the Nissan Frontier competing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and the Off-Road Championship Series.

And as we mentioned previously, the GT-R will be competing in the Australian V8 Supercars Championship.

Watch the promotional video on the upcoming Nissan Motorsports season after the break.

Nissan Motorsports International (NISMO) has made the release of the GT3-spec GT-R official, pricing it at around $388,000 based on today’s conversion rates.