(February 25, 2013) YOKOHAMA, Japan — Nissan is planning a major announcement around future plans for performance when it opens a new factory for its NISMO motorsports and performance tuning arm on Feb. 26 near Yokohama.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn will headline the announcement, which is expected to reveal a new direction for NISMO's core mission.

Well-known to motorsports and performance car enthusiasts and re-introduced at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this month, NISMO has nearly 30 years of motorsports expertise and proven tuning capabilities for road cars, and for its millions of global gaming and virtual fans NISMO products are about to become much more of a reality.

Nissan has invested in an entirely new facility for NISMO's operations, redeveloping a former production site to give it a new home with expanded technological capacity. The new site replaces NISMO's prior location in Omori, Japan, and includes a larger showroom for up to eight vehicles plus a retail outlet.

Nissan has already begun introducing NISMO-badged performance versions of its road car products.

The first Nissan road car to get the NISMO treatment, the Juke NISMO, is already on sale in Europe and Japan and will be launched in the U.S. this Spring. The 370Z NISMO made its public debut at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show in February and will be on sale globally later in 2013.

NISMO is also expected to reveal more about its future motorsport activities at the event.