Nissan Motorsport NISMO keen to enter India

FUJI: Nissan Motor Co's motorsports arm, NISMO will consider entering the Indian market in the long term as it looks to tap increasing popularity of motorsports activity in the country.

Nissan Motorsport International Co (NISMO) said India will be considered when the company decides to enter motorsports race or rally in markets where its parent's automotive business is growing.

"India is very important as a car market but I want to see how motorsports evolves in the future in India. I know F1 was conducted in India...So, probably motorsports activity is going to be more popular," NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani said here.

Currently, NISMO is studying which race or rally it should participate and where, starting with Japan, he added.

"A process has started with the involvement of all kinds of regions and motorsports agencies not only in Japan, but globally. So, I guess India will come up in that kind of process," Miyatani said.

He said the company's approach on motorsports also has to change considering the expansion of automotive business in markets like China, India, Brazil and Latin America.

As far as India is concerned, he said the company is aware of the potential of motorsports but it would have to study in details before thinking about introducing its sports and racing cars or parts.

"How can NISMO enter into motorsports activity with partnership in India? That is something we should consider first and after that we should consider a NISMO version (of sport cars) and NISMO parts," he said.

Miyatani further added: "I think the first point is to give people a credible image of NISMO. Just selling NISMO cars or NISMO parts means nothing."

NISMO, which is present only in Japan, is into design and development of race and rally cars apart from taking part in domestic and international races. It also promotes and manages domestic and international racing promotional activities.

Besides, it is also into planning, development and sales of competition parts for production vehicles and servicing.

In FY10 NISMO had registered gross sales of USD 75.4 million.

In India, Nissan sells cars such as the Micra, Sunny, Teana and SUV Xtrail. It along with alliance partner Renault has a plant in Chennai that has an annual capacity to produce 4 lakh cars set up an investment of Rs 4,500 crore.