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No word yet on how much the all-wheel-drive Nissan GT-R supercar will cost when it goes on sale in New Zealand next year, but most of the talk centres around an entry-level price of $150,000.
Nissan New Zealand marketing manager Peter Merrie says the price is still to be set with head office in Japan.
"We don't know yet," he said. "We won't know for some time. There's still work to be done."
The GT-R that will be on display at the GT Radial Speedshow is a near-production car shipped in from the factory in Japan. It will sit in a special cage over the weekend allowing viewers a look-see only.
Much of the speculation over the price of the production model here is based on the price in Britain, where the standard model is listed at around $133,000, the better-equipped Premium Edition at $137,000 and the top-range Black Edition at $140,000. But the volatile world of currency fluctuations could change things.
What won't change, however, is the customer service package that Nissan is offering for the GT-R, tailor-made to compete with the best the exclusive European nameplates like Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini have to offer.
The package includes special driver training programmes before and after purchase and a free three-year after-sales service agreement where Nissan will pick up and return the GT-R.
All models come with eight-way adjustable front seats trimmed in leather and perforated suede, dual-zone climate control and cruise control.
The standard audio system comes with six speakers and features a system capable of storing 9.4GB of your favourite sounds.
There are also six airbags, special wide-beam xenon headlamps, a tyre pressure monitoring system, intelligent key, 20-inch lightweight alloys in bright silver and an anti-theft system.
The GT-R Premium Edition adds automatic headlights and a specially designed digital Bose audio system. The 11 speakers include two sub-woofers between armrests.
The GT-R Black Edition gets an exclusive Kuro black paint job, gunmetal grey alloys and black leather and suede interior with red leather highlights.
Optional in some markets is a touch-screen satellite navigation system with voice recognition and full Bluetooth hands-free phone integration.
The GT-R is 4655mm long, 1895mm wide and 1370mm high. Fuel tank capacity is 71 litres. The powerplant is a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V6 delivering 353kW (480bhp) at 6400rpm and 588Nm of torque between 3200-5200rpm and driving all four wheels via a six-speed gearbox.
Nissan claims a zero to 100km/h sprint time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 315km/h.
Electronic controls allow gear shift characteristics, damper settings and stability control settings to be adjusted to suit the driver's mood and driving conditions.
A multi-function LCD screen developed with the designers of Sony PlayStation's Gran Turismo game provides an instant indication of a range of vehicle dynamics such as lateral g-forces which, if you prefer, can be stored for later analysis.
Nissan says the all-wheel-drive system is one of the most advanced developed for a production car.
