Future Nissan electric vehicles could be getting extra performance and flair courtesy of tuning arm Nismo.
Nissan Africa, Middle East, Europe and Oceania (AMIEO) chairman Guillaume Cartier confirmed to Top Gear the company is actively looking at upcoming Nissan electric vehicles (EVs) that could potentially undergo the Nismo treatment.
“Nismo is an asset that we have and that’s something we want to revitalise,” said Mr Cartier.
“And will we have some, let’s say, cars with the derivate Nismo? The answer is yes.”
Ariya 
Micra teaser
Mr Cartier indicated these Nismo-branded EVs would receive changes to the suspension and powertrain, as Nismo-branded internal-combustion engine cars do. There would also be aesthetic changes, naturally.
“The point is, it’s not a gimmick,” expanded Mr Cartier.
“To use an English expression, it’s not lipstick on a pig. So that requires some investment to make sure that you bring performance.”
It’s possible, therefore, that at some point we could see Nismo versions of the Nissan Ariya SUV and the upcoming all-electric Nissan Micra, the latter of which is expected to debut in 2024.
Alpine, the sporting brand of Alliance partner Renault, has already confirmed it’ll introduce a hotter version of the upcoming Renault 5 EV with which the reborn Micra will share its CMF B-EV architecture.
Leaf Nismo
It also has a sleek coupe crossover entering production in 2025, the GT X-Over, which will share its CMF-EV platform with the Nissan Ariya.
Nissan has already made a few Nismo-branded EVs. The first of these was the Nissan Leaf Nismo, a Japanese-market exclusive.
It receives a different steering tune, sportier suspension, revised traction control, as well as a different ECU tune and Nismo branding inside and out.
Nissan has also previously shown off the Leaf Nismo RC racer in a number of different iterations.
The latest version of this racer, which was revealed in 2018, is powered by a dual-electric motor setup producing total system outputs of 240kW of power and 640Nm of torque. It’s all-wheel drive too.
Leaf Nismo RC
Nissan claims this racer can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.4 seconds.
Nissan AMIEO senior vice president and chief planning officer François Bailly previously told Autocar that Nissan is going to use solid-state battery technology to make an electric sports car, but it isn’t a top priority.
Nissan also previously said it plans to use its solid-state batteries in a “wide range of vehicle segments, including pickup trucks”.
In November 2021, Nissan announced it’s spending 2 trillion yen ($A21 billion) on electrification over the next five years.
Chill-Out concept
It’s also going to reveal 15 new EVs by 2030 and intends to introduce solid-state batteries by fiscal year 2028.
Nissan already has a prototype solid-state battery and says it has an energy density “approximately twice that of conventional lithium-ion batteries, significantly shorter charging times due to superior charge/discharge performance, and lower cost thanks to the opportunity of using less materials”.
MORE: Nissan announces $24.6 billion electrification plans, four EV concepts
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