Nissan finally releases an affordable hybrid sports car… in Japan

Nissan has unveiled the NISMO variant with all-wheel drive of its Aura. Happy are the Japanese who will get to enjoy it.

Nissan has developed a very bad habit of dazzling its European customers with NISMO sport trims that are neither sporty nor NISMO. It’s a bit like adding an Alpine badge to a Renault SUV engine, can you imagine the scandal?

But the Japanese manufacturer would never dare to take such liberties in its home market. Japanese drivers have a true automobile culture, and for this reason, mixing genres does not sit well with them. GR for Toyota, HRC for Honda, and NISMO for Nissan are symbols that should be better left untouched, lest one face a violent backlash. Sporting definitions are reserved for sports cars only. For all other cases, tuning is available.

Nissan honors the NISMO brand

This new Aura NISMO is based on the Aura, a high-end compact sold in the Japanese market. It is offered exclusively with the in-house e-POWER hybrid powertrain. The drive wheels are powered exclusively by an electric motor. The gasoline engine of the e-POWER system is used to generate electricity, which is stored in the battery and then powers the electric motor that drives the vehicle. This technology has proven its worth this year in the Dakar with the Audi RS Q e-tron.

The NISMO touch can be found on the variant equipped with an electric all-wheel drive system. Compared to the standard Aura model, the rear motor of the NISMO-tuned e-POWER 4WD has been enhanced to provide an additional 15 hp and more importantly, an extra 50 Nm of torque. A guaranteed bow effect at acceleration. Power reaches 300 horsepower, but the car mainly benefits from an optimized torque distribution between the front and rear. This allows this version to exhibit a true sporty behavior. As it should, a generous aerodynamic kit complements the equipment with notably attractive dynamic wheels.

A bit more power, improved handling, a decidedly sporty look, all for 22,000 euros! Don’t look for an equivalent in the European market; it’s unbeatable. And for this price, you will also get carbon inserts, Recaro bucket seats, and a unique Bose audio system with speakers integrated into the headrest. No, really, the Japanese are lucky, but they deserve it.

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