Nissan Gallery At The New Global Headquarters In Yokohama
August 15, 2009 by Justin Karow
Filed under Latest Articles, Odd Spot
Not too long ago we posted an article on car museums in Japan and the Nissan Galleries were included as some of the easier to get to locations in the list. Well the Nissan “Honsha” (headquarters) and Gallery have moved to a new site in Yokohama and Derek from Pacific Coast JDM was there to check it out.
Nissan’s old HQ in Tokyo that we featured in our recent 15 Japanese car museums article looks old and decrepit compared to the new low C02 emitting building. The “Products Zone” in the new headquarters showcases over 30 vehicles from Nissan’s current line up to historical and racing cars and is well worth a look if you’re in Yokohama.
See here for a full explanation of everything the Nissan Gallery in Yokohama has to offer. Nissan officially moved into its new global corporate headquarters on August 2. [Press release]
Special thanks to Derek at www.pacificcoastjdm.com for the images!
Words: Justin Karow
Great dude, love the pics, this hits the “must see if your in Japan” list. And speaking of classics here’s another beauty, http://jalopnik.com/5336153/1971-datsun-240z-v12-for-9800 . BTW why are the Infiniti models sold with Nissan badges in Japan?
I like how nissan preserves all these cars and with different methods, some look like they just rolled off the assembly line while the r91cp looks like it just came off the track, as it should.
Interesting disabled urinal
Stingray: From memory, Infiniti are mainly for foreign (from Japan) sales, introduced to the United States to break away from the ‘mid range’ image of the era. Much like Lexus/Toyota – Honda/Acura etc. In Japan, I’m assuming they mostly keep their standard model designation/badging.
Eg. Lexus sc400/Toyota Soarer – Acura TSX/Honda Accord Euro.
hopefully someone can correct any mistakes/explain clearer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiniti
Yeah, I know the why Infiniti, Lexus and Acura wore created, and I know that the euro spec Honda Accord and Legend are sold in the US under Acura brand, but look at Lexus, they are on the JDM to, with almost all their models including the SC. One would think that a big group like Renault-Nissan(Renault, Nissan, Infiniti, Dacia, Samsung Motors) have the money to develop Infiniti only models. Well I guess that Mr. Carlos Ghosn aka the cost killer would kill me with a baseball bat if he hears me.
Stingray: Ah, sorry for the confusion – I have no clue in that case
Nice pics btw, just noticed a guy sleeping in those comfy looking chairs
@Stingray
Nissan will probably never introduce infiniti in Japan, because they can’t afford to lose sale’s. that’s what happined when toyota introduced lexus, because all the models were like 20% more exspensive then when they were badged as toyota.
And toyota had lots of models, like the crown’s and mark X and avansis based cars. Nissan doesn’t have that any more they canned the bluebird, primera, laurel and stagea line’s. So there show room would be pretty empty if they introduced infiniti. (plus the skyline and cima name’s have a big history and folowing in Japan and outside).
STJ: Not to sound like a expert on Nissans or anything, but the Bluebird is still going in Japan: http://www2.nissan.co.jp/SYLPHY/G11/0905/index.html?page=w10
Stingray: What the others have said is is certainly the case with Infiniti in Japan, also Nissan has gone to great lengths to simplify its sales channels, now just Red Stage/Blue Stage but even so I think you can buy any model from any location so really just one sales channel. To sell their upmarket models through an Infiniti brand would go against this and take steps back to the bad old days when Nissan had 4 or 5 sales channels and double the amount of model on offer.
@Justin Karow
Thats the bluebird sylphy a sedan the size of the pulsar/almera. The last gen sylphy was just a rebadged almera sedan. The real bluebird got discontinued in 2001 just look it up on wiki. The two models also use different model code’s G for the sylphy and U for the real discontinued bluebird.
STJ: If that’s the case, are the current “V” series Skylines still real Skylines? Or did the real ones discontinue with the “R” series, or “C” series before that?
It’s apparent that Nissan are now focusing on the Sylphy name rather than Bluebird, but why the need to keep the Bluebird name on the badge if it isn’t one?
Hey great writeup.
I’m glad you like the photos.
I like the transformer GTR. You can buy one for around 8000 yen. Fully licensed by both Nissan and Transformers.
nissan hq looks great. lol at the restroom, look like a moody place to take a dump .. haha!
Just looking through the pics again, I see the Datsun specs there on one of the signs. Is that the old yellow Datsun chitty chitty bang bang
car? If so, that beast weighs 1,680 Kg and only has 11Kw!
Great pics Derek, lol I completely missed that GTR transformer, that’s awesome! I blew my transformers up when I discovered fireworks.
I’m guessing the ‘fuel pump’ in the 2nd shot is actually a new ‘quick charger’ for the new Nissan Leaf?
celica-xx: I was amazed too, under a litre capacity with that much weight! The grill alone looks thick enough to double as a jail cell door
In person the Nissan 14 is slightly bigger than an mini. A mini weights 640kg. This car has no roof either so I wonder where it gets that much weight from.
Funny story about the fireworks. For me it was McDonalds toys and old teapots.
The Electric fuel charger was charging electric Tiidas which people could go and drive. I imagine the Tiida (Versa sedan) was just what they chose for the rolling shell for the internals.
One other note, the lighting in the showroom was all computerized and would shift and change to the music and the ads on the screen. It was very cool.
@ Justin Karow
The skyline still uses the same number even if the letter has changed. The Bluebird doesn’t, the only reason nissan chose the name because it has lots of hystory in Japan.
Its also marked that the sunny was the Predecessor of the sylphy and not the U-serie’s bluebird.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Bluebird_Sylphy
STJ: I’m sure many people disregard wikipedia as a concrete source of information and although you make some valid points, the wikipedia article is written and edited by random people, whoever feels inclined. The author of the wikipedia article on the Bluebird Sylphy is obviously from Australia as they are adamant that the G10 Bluebird Sylphy is basically a PULSAR while at the same time remarking that the Pulsar was the G10 derivative sold in Australia. I don’t know about you, but this would be the first time that I’ve heard that a foreign export market model is dictating the lineage of a domestic market model.
Model designations are another thing entirley and Nissan should come be the one educating us on why they chose those numbers over a successive designation, not Wikipedia. Again, although I respect Wikipedia as a basic source of information it isn’t the “be all and end all” of what constitutes a model successor from a certain car manufacturer. As far as we are concerned, Nissan chose the name “Bluebird” Sylphy for a reason, not because of any nostalgic factors but because that is the only car in its range at this time that fits the Bluebird nameplate. Why they chose Sylphy to augment the Bluebird name is anyone’s guess.