It’s been 12 months since Autocar India first broke the news of Nissan’s plans to introduce the GT-R in India, but it’s only now that the Japanese automaker has finally given the green light for the launch of its iconic sports car, which is expected in showrooms by the end of this year.
The delay in launching the GT-R was largely due to the challenge in setting up a service infrastructure to maintain this sophisticated, four-wheel-drive machine which, like all supercars today, needs high-octane fuel to run optimally. Built to fine tolerances and with extreme precision, there are only four engineers in the world who are allowed to hand-assemble the GT-R’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 engine.
“It is easy to launch a car, but what’s the point if we cannot offer after-sales support after we sold a car that would cost about Rs 2 crore," said Guillaume Sicard, president of operations, Nissan India. For the handful of GT-Rs in India which have been directly imported by their owners (the list includes cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar), Nissan flies technicians in from Dubai to get them serviced, which is not an ideal solution.
However, Nissan is now investing in getting select service facilities upgraded with trained technicians to service the GT-R. According to Nissan, mechanics have to undergo four months of intensive training to qualify as a GT-R technician, before they can carry out even routine maintenance. Every dealership that sells the GT-R is expected to have a fully trained technician.
In India, Nissan is in the doldrums owing to lacklustre sales and an overall lack of consumer confidence in the brand. The Japanese company feels that it desperately needs a halo product and is counting on the legendary GT-R could give its image a much-needed boost.
One of the fastest point A to B cars in the world, the GT-R can humble many Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches and yet pass off easily as an everyday car. It’s the fifth fastest car in the world around Nürburgring‘s famous Nordschleife circuit with a time of 7 minutes 8 seconds. But to put the GT-R’s astonishing pace in perspective in the Indian context, it remains the fastest production car we have tested on the Sriperumbudur circuit outside Chennai with a time of 1 minute 52 seconds, beating cars like the Lamborghini Gallardo and Porsche 911 Carrera.
Expected to cost a shade over Rs. 2 crore when it goes on sale, the GT-R which has cult like following, will find a small but ready clientele.
Selvin Jose