Can this super car rev up Nissan?
Turnaround CEO Carlos Ghosn pins his hopes on an $85,000 revamped classic.
By Kevin Kelleher, Business 2.0 Magazine

(Business 2.0 Magazine) -- Nissan has long lagged Toyota in sales. But in the world of high-performance racing cars, Japan's second-largest automaker leaves its rival in the dust.

That's thanks to the Skyline GT-R, which has been the hot rod of choice in Japan, with nearly 70,000 sold since 1990. In the United States, the car gained an underground following: Paul Walker drove one in the film 2 Fast 2 Furious, and 100 or so have been imported and adapted to meet U.S. safety standards during the past decade.

nissan_skyline_G-TR.03.jpg
Nissan plans to release the revamped Skyline GT-R in the U.S. in 2008. (Concept version shown.) Will buyers flock to the $85,000 classic?

Now, Nissan is preparing a new-generation GT-R, to be sold in the United States in 2008.

CEO Carlos Ghosn, who's spent the past five years turning Nissan around, is hoping the GT-R will burnish his company's reputation for performance in the States, just as the 1990s version put Nissan on par with Ferrari and Porsche back home.

The rollout will start small, with word-of-mouth marketing and a few thousand cars, which people close to the company say will cost about $85,000.

A prototype unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005 sported a sleek, aerodynamic design; the finished product is expected to preserve many of the car's legendary characteristics, like four-wheel drive and a customizable chassis.

Will its cult following make it a Stateside hit?

Below you'll see what the experts are saying about the GT-R's prospects.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Give us your take. Send your comments to mailto:talkback@business2.com;autos@cnn.comTop of page

The Experts Sound Off
KARL BRAUER
KARL BRAUER
Editor-in-chief, Edmunds.com
In 1999 a lot of people thought it was just a matter of time before Nissan was for sale. Now it's clear the company's turning things around. The GT-R is Nissan's way of saying it's back, it's successful, and it has the resources to go after the upscale, high-performance end of the market.
BURL EAST
Car enthusiast and investment banker
People spending $85,000 on a car are doctors, attorneys, and businessmen. They have more traditional values and probably more brand affinity. When you're talking about an $85,000 sports car, it seems to me you have a lot of competition. Porsche has been at this a lot longer than Nissan.
TODD TURNER
TODD TURNER
President, consulting firm Car Concepts
Every automaker wants to have a halo car. It doesn't always improve the brand. But in Nissan's case, I think it'll have a nice effect. Next year, instead of being down 10 or 12 percent, its sales will be up 30 percent. The GT-R will be coming out on the heels of those higher sales.

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.