Over the past few weeks, Nissan began extensive testing of its forthcoming GT-R sports car in the United States. Prototypes have been spotted across the country at various race tracks and on public streets. During a test at the Infineon Raceway in California, a Nissan engineer made a comment that raises new questions about how the car will be branded.
According to AutoWeek, a photographer at the track overheard the Nissan worker refer to the car as an “ Infiniti Skyline GT-R.” Such a label goes an announcement made in April suggesting the GT-R would be sold in the United States as a Nissan.
At the New York Auto Show, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said the high-performance sports car would wear the Nissan badge, consistent with its global branding.
A report published in the ensuing days suggested Infiniti dealers were “enraged” by the news. They “desperately wanted the GT-R as a halo for the brand,” the Automotive News report said.
Has Nissan’s top management had a change of heart? We’ll find out no later than this fall, when the 500-plus horsepower sports car debuts at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.
