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Nissan GT-R Nismo confirmed as Nissan opens new Nismo HQ

Nissan has opened a new Nismo HQ in Yokohama and confirmed that there will be a Nissan GT-R Nismo flagship performance car built. So far, we’ve had the Nissan Juke Nismo arrive and the Nissan 370Z Nismo turned up recently too as a production model for the UK and Europe – and we’ve even had a concept of a LEAF Nismo – so we know Nissan are serious about offering Nismo versions even on their least sporty models. But the one car that really doesn’t need a Nismo version is the GT-R, yet to have a range of performance cars under the Nismo banner without having the mighty GT-R at the top of that range would seem odd.

Mercedes S600 Pullman – 6 versions planned?

New Mercedes S600 Pullman rendered The Mercedes S600 Pullman – arriving in 2013/14 to replace the unloved Maybach – will come in a range of six versions. The demise of Maybach has finally been confirmed, with Mercedes-Benz deciding to concentrate its Rolls and Bentley bashing plans on the S-Class, with plans to add a range-topping Pullman model to the new S-Class when it arrives in 2013. We had thought it likely that Mercedes would offer just a proper halo S Class Pullman in the shape of an S600 Pullman with a thumping great V12 nestling up front.

Hyundai makes Kia’s Peter Schreyer Hyundai design guru too

The newly appointed Kia President, Peter Schreyer, has now been made Hyundai President in charge of design too. Peter Schreyer’s success in making Kia a real design force led to him being appointed a Kia President at the end of 2012, handsome reward for the changes he’s wrought at Kia since leaving VW, turning Kia’s range of cars from stodgy to convincing in a few short years. But Kia is the junior partner in the Hyundai-Kia business, so Hyundai are obviously not totally thrilled that Kia managed to snaffle a designer who’s eye manages to so convincingly hit the Zeitgeist firmly on the head.