The 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon has played host to the reveal of the Nissan Auro Nismo RS Concept, a sporty widebody version of the brand’s Japanese-market hybrid hatchback.
Nissan says the Auro Nismo RS show car was “designed as a technical validation exercise”, though the company “is exploring the potential of bringing this concept to market as a production car”.
Based on the Japanese-market Aura Nismo RS AWD, a hybrid competitor to the Toyota Yaris, the Nismo RS Concept gets 145mm wider fenders and a 20mm ride height reduction for a lower centre of gravity and a more aggressive silhouette.
Further, aero has been improved with enhancements to the front spoiler and side skirts, plus a rear diffuser with Nismo’s signature red accents. The front fenders have an airflow-optimised design, as do the side air splitters and high roof-mounted rear spoiler.
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Under the beefed-up body is a more powerful e-Power series hybrid system borrowed from the JDM-spec Nissan X-Trail Nismo, which comprises 150kW/330Nm front and 100kW/195Nm rear e-motors – which form the e-4orce electrified all-wheel drive system.
The 106kW/250Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine under the bonnet only provides power to an inverter to generate electricity for said electric motors, with the Nismo-tuned hybrid system featuring greater rear-drive distribution for a more dynamic feel.
Braking performance has also been enhanced by way of four-piston front and two-piston rear brake calipers, sat behind 18-inch Nismo LM GT4 light alloy wheels shod in sticky 245/45 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 performance tyres.
Sadly, Nissan hasn’t disclosed any performance figures for the Aura Nismo RS, but it’s understood to be a decent bit quicker than the standard Aura Nismo, which in AWD guise has a 100kW/300Nm front e-motor and a 60kW/150Nm unit at the rear.
The Aura Nismo RS Concept was joined in Nissan’s Tokyo Auto Salon display by the refreshed Nissan Z – or Fairlady Z as it’s known in the domestic market – previewed by the Nismo MT which gets a manual transmission in the flagship spec for the first time.
Other new Nissan models include the X-Trail Rock Creek Multibed Wildplay, an even more rugged and accessorised version of theadventure-ready X-Trail Rock Creek editionalready revealed for the Japanese market; while the Leaf Autech joins a range of Autech-badged Nissans in Japan that boast “sporty yet luxurious exterior and interior materials” to give it a very different look.
Also on display on Nissan’s Tokyo Auto Salon stand is a specially restored Nissan March purchased by Kondo Racing team director Masahiko ‘Matchy’ Kondo, as well as the 2016 Motul Autech GT-R race car, produced in honour of driver Tsugio Matsuda’s retirement from the Japanese Super GT motorsports series.
Read more about Nissan’s Tokyo Auto Salon stand here.
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