For some years, one of the highlights of Japan’s automotive calendar has been the Nismo Festival, an event that sees iconic race and road cars from Nissan’s performance and motorsport branch descend on Fuji Speedway for a day of demo runs, fan events and general Nismo worship.
That won’t be the case this year, though, because Nissan has announced it’s cancelling the 26th edition of the festival for 2025. In a short statement, the company says it’s “decided to cancel the event in its current format. The decision follows a reevaluation of the festival’s content and operations. Nissan… will take this opportunity to reassess the future direction of the Nismo Festival, with the aim of relaunching it as an even more engaging experience for fans.”
Nismo Festival
All sounds fairly vague, but it’s hard not to assume the 2025 festival is a victim of Nissan’s ongoing cost-slashing drive, which is also leading to it shutting down two factories and two design studios, cancelling development of several cars, and doubling down on its partnership with Renault in Europe.
It’s not hugely surprising, then, but it’s nevertheless disappointing. The Festival traditionally takes place in December, helping round out Japan’s automotive year, and its cancellation for 2025 – along with an uncertain future in its existing format – is doubtless a blow to fans of Nismo’s astonishing heritage. It especially comes as a blow given that the 2024 edition was a bumper one, celebrating Nismo’s 40th anniversary.
Nismo Festival
Despite the cancellation, Nissan seems to be attempting to breathe new life into the Nismo brand itself. In the past year, it launched the Ariya Nismo in Europe, the Patrol and Armada Nismo in the Middle East and North America, and the X-Trail Nismo in Japan. While none of them are exactly on the level of a 400R, or even a 370Z Nismo, it at least shows that Nissan still seems committed to keeping its beloved performance badge alive as it navigates choppy waters.
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