2:05 pm, October 26, 2011
NISSAN will be offering a more hardcore GT-R to buyers next year in an effort to satisfy track day customers.
A special performance pack will be made available to the model range taking the sports Nissan to the next level in terms of performance and handling.
‘We are still finalising the name on that car but I think it will be a significant car for us in the UK.We have shown it to a select number of customers and they feel enthuised by it,’ Andy Connell, category manager 4×4 and sports cars, exclusively told us.
In other markets the modification package will be called a ‘race pack’ but Connell confirmed it won’t be called that in the UK. The pack essentially makes the GT-R more uncompromising and has up-rated suspension and dampers, different wheels, increased cooling and aerodynamics, and no rear seats.
‘The idea behind this is to satisfy the customers who like to take their GT-Rs to the track and don’t need practicality.’
Connell revealed he is unsure of ‘what mix the car will take’ but added ‘it will be an interesting addition to the range’.
The pack will be available in the early part of next year, but prices have not yet been finalised.
NO BESPOKE MODEL
A FOCUS on providing customers with the performance car they require could explain why a luxurious version of the GT-R will not be coming to the UK.
Connell confirmed Nissan GB has ruled out plans on selling a bespoke version of the GT-R, quoting a large list price and not enough buyers as the reasons.
‘In the UK we find we have a very performance orientated customer, and if they want to modify the car they do so by enhancing the performance, and not by ordering expensive leathers and interiors.’
The car, called the GT-R Egoist, is currently on the price lists of Eastern countries and is offered as a luxurious, high-end model. The special car can be made bespoke for the customer with choices of high-quality leathers and paint schemes – but that is not the concern of the UK GT-R buyer.
Price is also a factor. The ‘entry-level’ GT-R is £71,950, but an Egoist would around the £150k mark. ‘The customer has to be committed to that level of luxury because they would be looking at a car that costs twice as much as the normal car.
‘It’s a question of what the market wants. The standard car is around the £72k mark and that is a very competitive because on a performance level we see that competing with the Porsche 911 Turbo S but the GT-R costs less. We can supply the car but it is not part of our focus in the UK – our concentration is on the regular car.’
FIRST DRIVE
At a special event at Silverstone yesterday for the launch of the GT-R MY12, Car Dealer jumped into the driving seat to try out the new Nissan supercar.
The overwhelming impression is that Nissan has managed to make the 2012 GT-R even better than the outgoing model. 2011 cars were on hand to act as a measuring stick of the new car’s abilities, and the differences were clear to see.
The new car is faster than the old one due to more power being strained from the 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V6 motor – Nissan hasn’t revealed the power output yet – and thanks to some clever new suspension gadgetry, the car is even more adept on the race track than the ‘old’ car.
We were mightily impressed. For a full road-test, read the next issue of Car Dealer out November 15.
