Nissan’s performance arm has opened its first NISMO Performance Center outside Japan, at Ferntree Gully Nissan in Melbourne, Australia. It offers restoration programmes, genuine performance and heritage parts, and factory-certified NISMO Meisters. Nissan says it is the first concrete step in a wider plan to put the NISMO brand closer to enthusiasts in priority markets around the world.
Nissan Motorsports & Customizing Co., Ltd. (NMC), the company behind the NISMO brand, has officially opened the NISMO Performance Center Melbourne. The facility sits inside the Ferntree Gully Nissan dealership in Victoria. NMC calls it a key milestone because it is the first time NISMO has set up a Performance Center outside its home market.
The opening is the first visible result of a multi-phase Australian expansion that NMC and Nissan Oceania announced in May 2026.
A direct line to the Omori Factory
The main purpose of the Melbourne centre is to give Australian owners access to the know-how of NISMO’s Omori Factory in Japan without the car leaving the country. According to the company, the site will:
- support advanced vehicle restoration programmes
- supply authentic NISMO performance and heritage parts
- offer support from factory-certified NISMO Meisters
The wider Australian programme also covers accessories, technical expertise and customer experiences. NMC refers to this as the broader “NISMO ecosystem”.
Part of a global growth plan
Nissan presents the centre as part of a larger strategy for NISMO, which it describes as a key expression of the group’s performance DNA. Nissan and NMC say they are growing the NISMO model line-up, expanding its presence in more markets, and building up its heritage, restoration and parts businesses.
Performance Centers in priority markets are central to that plan. They are meant to link NISMO’s engineering base in Japan more closely with local customers and enthusiast communities. Melbourne is the first one to open.
“The opening of the first NISMO Performance Center outside Japan is an important milestone in our global expansion. Our focus is on bringing the brand closer to customers in the right markets, with the right products, services and experiences.” — Yutaka Sanada, President and CEO of NMC and global head of the NISMO brand
Why Australia came first
According to Nissan, more than 300 Nissan and NISMO enthusiasts attended the opening event. The company says the turnout reflects the strength of the country’s performance and GT-R community, which made Australia an obvious choice for the first overseas centre.
What it means
NISMO’s heritage parts and restoration expertise have so far been concentrated in Japan. For owners of older Nissan performance cars elsewhere, getting hold of factory-backed parts and specialist support has generally meant dealing with Japan from a distance. A local centre staffed by certified Meisters could make that much easier for Australian owners, and the plan is to repeat the model in other priority markets.
NMC has not yet said which other countries will get a Performance Center or when. The company only says that further steps in the international roll-out will be announced in due course.
Key facts: NISMO Performance Center Melbourne
- Location: Ferntree Gully Nissan, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Status: First NISMO Performance Center outside Japan
- Services: Restoration programmes, NISMO performance and heritage parts, support from factory-certified NISMO Meisters
- Background: Phased Australian expansion announced by NMC and Nissan Oceania in May 2026
- Next steps: More Performance Centers planned in Australia from 2027
The Melbourne centre is now open, and more Australian NISMO Performance Centers are planned from 2027.
Source: global.nissannews.com