The Nissan Tokyo Auto Salon display will cater to two drastically different factions of the enthusiast world. On one hand, the brand will unveil a performance-oriented concept that was developed by Nismo. On the other, the company will show how its students restored a 1980s car that few remember today. The message Nissan wants to send seems to be that it hasn’t forgotten that passion is a great way to sell cars.
The most exciting car that Nissan will display in the Japanese capital is the Nismo-branded concept. We don’t know much about it; The only picture released so far (shown above) seemingly depicts part of the rear end. We think we spot a seriously flared wheel arch and a thin light that’s connected to a light bar.
Is this a preview of the next-generation GT-R? The R35-generation model retired earlier in 2025 without a direct successor, but Nissan has repeatedly assured us that the nameplate won’t be consigned to the attic. It might be telling that the company has confirmed it will also display a Super GT-spec GT-R in Tokyo.
The mysterious concept and the fresh-off-the-track GT-R will be accompanied by several other new cars. One is a refreshed version of the Z, which is known as the Fairlady Z in Japan, that receives several visual updates inside and out. Nissan will also display the stick-shifted Z Nismo announced in September 2025.
Moving to the crossover side of the range, we’ll see an Autech-modified Leaf with sportier styling and an outdoorsy Rogue called X-Trail Rock Creek Multibed Wildplay (seriously) at the show as well. While both are presented as concepts, they’re based on production cars, so they could land in Japanese showrooms.
Nissan
Nissan
Nissan
Nissan
Finally, Nissan will present a car that’s a different kind of new. It’s a first-generation (K10) March, which was sold as the Micra in numerous global markets. This boxy, humble-looking hatchback was purchased by Masahiko “Matchy” Kondo, who is the team director of Kondo Racing, and fully restored by students at the Nissan Automobile College. It looks like it’s in like-new condition, which is cool because not many of these were preserved, and its automatic transmission was replaced by a manual during the restoration.
The new Nismo concept will make its debut at the Nissan Tokyo Auto Salon display on January 9.
AloJapan.com