Nissan Motorsport’s four-car V8 Supercars effort will carry revised branding at Phillip Island this weekend in order to promote the Australian launch of the Altima model.
The four-door sedan will be available in Australian showrooms from the first week of December, more than a year after its first public appearance as a V8 Supercar.
Although the Altima nameplate is new to Australia, it has been existed in other markets since the mid-1980s.
Launched globally at the New York Motor Show last April, the L33 model Altima will replace the Maxima in Nissan’s Australian line-up.
“From a fan’s perspective, there has been a huge amount of hype around the launch of the road-going Altima, so the fact that it’s now in Nissan dealerships is very exciting,” said Rick Kelly, who is Nissan’s top driver in 13th in the points standings.
“I flew to the global unveil of the Altima in New York in Easter last year, and it was exciting to see it then.
“I can’t wait to jump in and drive one of our local versions.”
The Altima has enjoyed a mixed debut season in the V8 Supercars Championship and is currently undergoing significant engine and aerodynamic upgrades ahead of its 2014 campaign.
Racing the Altima so far ahead of its Australian launch has provided unique off-track challenges for the team, including the need to source and transport several unregistered LHD versions to use as showcars.
Although the V8 Supercars are rear-wheel drive V8s under the category’s rulebook, the front-drive road going versions will offer 2.5 litre four-cylinder and 3.5 litre six-cylinder engine options.
Nissan announced last month that Australian pricing for the Thailand-sourced vehicles will begin at $29,990.
Prior to this weekend at Phillip Island, the four Nissan Motorsport entries had run generic Nissan rather than model-specific branding.
The company has stressed that its V8 Supercars program is designed to ‘polish’ its overall brand image as well as promote the Altima model.
Nissan has sold 64,746 vehicles this year through the end of October, placing it sixth behind Toyota (176,922), Holden (92,432), Mazda (86,219), Hyundai (80,729) and Ford (72,450).
A selection of motoring and motorsport press will have their first taste of the road going Alimta on Australian soil today in a drive program that will conclude at the Phillip Island circuit.
