Nissan Says NISMO Badge Won’t Go on Just Anything, Unlike BMW M and AMGAutoblogSebastian CenizoWed, September 23, 2026 at 1:15 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleAutoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Over the past decade or so, more and more lightly warmed up or slightly more aggressively styled vehicles have appeared on the market with the badges of their performance-focused siblings. BMW has M Performance models, Mercedes has AMG Line, and Audi has S line. Less premium brands, like Hyundai with its N Line and Kia with its GT-Line, have also jumped on the brand-diluting, money-making bandwagon, but Nissan says it won't be peer pressured into applying its NISMO badge where it doesn't belong. Speaking with The Drive, Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America, Ponz Pandikuthira, said, "You don't make a NISMO out of everything just because you can. NISMO has to be authentic."No Nissan Rogue NISMO in the Near FutureNissanThe publication asked Pandikuthira if the new 2027 Nissan Rogue Hybrid would make sense with NISMO treatment, and he quickly replied, "Off the top of my head, no," before saying that his leadership of product development is focused on what paying customers want most out of a family vehicle. Toyota clearly sees things differently, because its RAV4 GR Sport, a plug-in hybrid crossover, makes 320 horsepower, and Pandikuthira clearly is aware of the challenge that competing with it would be. "If we were to make a NISMO rally car, if you will, out of a Rogue, it's going to have to have north, I don't know, 300 plus horsepower, [with] much different dynamic handling. I would strip out a lot of the elements to make it lightweight. How many real customers do we have for a product like that?"Related: Nissan's Turnaround Could Mean More Fun Cars Are ComingIndeed, increasing noise, vibration, and harshness for a family-focused vehicle that needs to deliver decent gas mileage seems silly, and only a small percentage of buyers would be interested. Instead, Pandikuthira wants those resources to go into the products that are already geared towards performance, saying, "Should I put that effort into making a Z NISMO better; bringing a GT-R to market a lot faster? Am I better off spending time investing in the Rock Creek version, which is really giving more off-road capability, a rugged set of utility tires, and other camping accessories because that's how people us this car? So if I have to focus on, 'what do people typically who buy a Rogue do with their vehicle,' NISMO's not at the top of the list."Autoblog's TakeNissanIt's worth mentioning that Nissan has applied its NISMO badge to a monstrous SUV with the Armada, offered in the U.S., and to the Ariya electric crossover and the X-Trail SUV, sold in Japan and other regions, among other models. However, under the guidance of CEO Ivan Espinosa, who took the reins last year, and Pandikuthira, Nissan appears to be focused on not only streamlining the range, but also on ensuring that the NISMO badge is taken seriously on the rare occasions it does appear, strengthening its credibility. In other words, don't expect something like the Juke NISMO to appear ever again. That's a good thing.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Sep 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.