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.
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
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 the adventure-ready X-Trail Rock Creek edition already 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.
Click the images for the full gallery