Nissan Pulsar NISMO Concept is Ready to Race

As we continue trying to cover every new Japanese car shown at the 2014 Paris Motor Show (all the cool ones anyway), today we come to yet another sporty new offering. It’s the Nissan Pulsar NISMO Concept, and it’s the hottest hatch we’ve seen from Nissan in quite some time.

How fitting that Nissan chose to show their new Pulsar NISMO at the same motor show Honda chose to unveil their newest Civic Type-R Concept; the two cars are very similar. Of course, unlike the Civic Type-R which Honda confirmed will eventually come to production, Nissan is calling this Pulsar NISMO nothing more than an “innovative design study.” Still, we have a hard time believing that Nissan wouldn’t produce this sweet-looking sports hatch.

Either way, Nissan is throwing down the gauntlet by claiming that their new hatchback will outrace the Civic Type-R to take a front-wheel drive Nürburgring lap record. It’ll do it with a 1.6L turbocharged four-cylinder engine that’s been tuned up to a teeth-gritting 247bhp. However, Nissan says they can do even better and may eventually offer a Pulsar NISMO RS with 275bhp.

Engine aside, let’s take a moment to quickly go over the augmentations NISMO made to the Pulsar hatchback:

Outside, the hatchback bears the performance firm’s trademark black and red color-scheme with red side skirts, 19-inch twin-spoke gunmetal alloys, dark chrome accents and a carbon fiber rear spoiler. Closer inspection reveals a crisp red front spoiler and enormous air intakes, as well as a rear diffuser with twin central exhausts.

We already mentioned the engine tune-up, but NISMO also lowered the hatch’s ride by a couple inches and stiffened the chassis. They also added a limited-slip differential to help the underpinnings handle the enormous surplus of power, and they reinforced the steering to give a more accurate driving response. All of these changes were made off the basis of real-world track testing, so you can trust that the Pulsar NISMO offers an authentically sporty drive.

Inside, you’ll find the standard NISMO treatment of deep, form-fitting Alcantara bucket seats, classy black upholstery with red accents and subtle chrome trim, a tri-spoke steering wheel, a special red tachometer and of course alloy pedals to round things out.

The Nissan pulsar NISMO is a definitely and eye-catcher, and while Nissan didn’t make any promises, we’d be pretty surprised if we didn’t see the car make its production debut sometime in 2015.