Report: Nissan GT-R being considered for Philippine release

With the new Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) taking over sales and marketing operations of the Japanese brand in the market; the company is further looking to reinforce its brand image with the GT-R performance flagship model. The new company officially commenced operations on March 1, 2014 and introduced the long-awaited Sylphy and Altima passenger cars to the Philippine market.

A reliable source has revealed to us that "NPI is exploring the possibility of introducing the GT-R as a 'halo' model to boost their image and recreate interest in the brand again."

NPI has reportedly been trying to gather information as to how many R35 Nissan GT-Rs are actually in the country. The GT-R is currently available locally through grey importers who price the car at an average of PhP7,500,000.

The GT-R is powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo engine which allows it to enjoy preferential tariff ratess under the JPEPA (Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement). NPI needs to take advantage of this agreement and price their car right if they want to build brand interest with more exciting models. Service and support needs to be provided to current owners of the GT-R despite being purchased through grey importers.

The Nissan GT-R received its latest round of updates for the 2014 model at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. Improvements in the chassis, exterior, interior and body construction have been executed to heighten its sophistication without compromise to performance.  Alongside the updated GT-R was the new GT-R Nismo which features more aggressive tuning for the engine and chassis with lighter parts like Nismo exclusive Volk Racing TE-37 20-inch forged wheels and carbon fiber body panels and seats. The performance-tuned GT-R Nismo clocked in at 7:08.679 on the Nurburgring Nordschliefe otherwise known as the 'Green Hell'.