NISMO opens first Performance Centre outside Japan at Ferntree Gully Nissan in Melbourne

First international NISMO Performance Centre opens in Melbourne

Nissan Motorsports & Customizing (NMC) has opened its first NISMO Performance Centre outside Japan, located at Ferntree Gully Nissan on Burwood Highway in Melbourne's east. The Japanese automotive outlet Response reported the opening, noting it is the first concrete step in the NISMO brand expansion plan announced by NMC and Nissan Oceania in May 2026, aimed at bringing NISMO products, specialist expertise and heritage activities to customers in key global markets. According to Response, more than 300 Nissan and NISMO fans attended the opening event. ¹⁵

GoAuto reported the Melbourne centre was officially unveiled to enthusiasts and GT-R owners over a weekend in early October, creating a direct link between Australian customers and NISMO's Omori Factory in Japan. GoAuto previously reported in May that Australia had been selected as the first international market for the Performance Centre concept, with Ferntree Gully Nissan nominated as the inaugural site. ²³

Yutaka Sanada, president and CEO of NMC and global head of the NISMO brand, described the opening as an important milestone in the brand's global expansion. In a statement carried by CarExpert, he said the focus is on bringing the brand closer to customers in the right markets, and called Australia a natural priority because of its mature performance culture, strong GT-R community and appetite for authentic NISMO heritage, performance parts and motorsport-driven experiences. ⁴

What the centre offers owners

The centre will work with NISMO's Omori Factory in Japan to deliver advanced vehicle restoration programs, genuine NISMO performance parts and heritage components, and support from technicians certified by the Omori Factory as NISMO Meisters, according to Response. GoAuto's report adds that the facility will offer complete engine packages and restoration support, with NISMO-certified technicians handling approved work. ¹²³⁵

Nissan Australia aftersales director Michael Hill, speaking at a media event announcing the centre earlier in the year, described it as a shop-within-a-shop concept with parts on display, models and news. He said the NISMO Meisters would guide customers through restoration journeys, including performance engine build menus, heritage parts available exclusively through the performance centres, NISMO performance parts and merchandise, as quoted by CarExpert. ⁴

GoAuto reported it is understood the Melbourne site will help owners source parts that have previously been difficult to obtain locally, while providing direct access to NISMO expertise for restoration and performance work. ²³

Why Australia, and which cars it serves

Response reported that Australia was chosen for the first international site because its performance-car and GT-R fan community shows a strong presence. The centre caters principally to Australia's sizeable local enthusiast fleet, including R32, R33 and R34 Skyline GT-Rs as well as Z models, Silvias, Stageas and other Japanese-market performance cars, according to GoAuto. ²³⁵

GoAuto reported in May that Nissan estimates around 35,500 relevant enthusiast vehicles are in Australia, including more than 16,500 Japanese-market Skylines, one of the strongest concentrations of legacy Nissan performance models outside Japan. Only 100 R32 GT-Rs were officially sold by Nissan Australia when new, but grey imports subsequently swelled the local population of R32, R33 and R34 models. ²³

The R32 GT-R's local reputation was established on the track, where it dominated Australian touring car racing and won the Bathurst 1000 in 1991 and 1992, as recounted by CarExpert. Nissan says the Performance Centre program is intended primarily to support the existing enthusiast community rather than act as another showroom for new NISMO-badged road cars, GoAuto reported. ²³⁴

The centre also forms a local pathway into NISMO's expanding international restoration program, which initially focuses on the R32, R33 and R34 Skyline GT-R generations, following Nissan's 2025 commitment to expand its vehicle restoration programs globally, as reported by CarExpert and GoAuto. ²³⁴

Rollout plans and NISMO in Australia

Response reported that additional Performance Centres are planned in Australia from 2027 and that expansion into other overseas markets is expected to be announced progressively. GoAuto previously reported the local network was expected to extend beyond Melbourne to Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, with Adelaide and Auckland also under consideration depending on demand, and that further centres are planned for markets including the United States, Gulf states and the United Kingdom. ¹²³⁵

For buyers of new NISMO-badged models in Australia, GoAuto reported that the Z Nismo remains the only NISMO-badged new model currently on sale locally, while the overseas Y63 Patrol Nismo has so far been ruled out for Australian introduction. Nissan also intends to double the number of road-going models developed by NMC from five to 10, according to GoAuto's earlier reporting. ²³

Background on the brand: NISMO, short for Nissan Motorsport, was formed in 1984 and combined with Nissan's Autech division in 2022 to create Nissan Motorsports & Customizing, which integrates motorsport and customisation activities, as reported by CarExpert and GoAuto. ²³⁴