Nissan has announced its Nismo motorsport and performance arm will expand significantly to become synonymous with performance and premium Nissans.

"Nismo adds even more excitement and innovation to Nissan products. We now plan to inject that style and excitement into other models in the Nissan range," said Shoichi Miyatani, president of Nismo.

As an indication of what the future might hold, one of the highlights of the Nissan stand at the show is the Juke Nismo Concept, a high performance version of Nissan's genre-creating compact crossover.

Nismo's road car activities have, until now, been restricted to halo performance cars like the Z series in a small number of markets.

"Nismo has carved out an enviable reputation in motor racing," said Carlos Ghosn, Nissan president and CEO. "In fact, in 2011, Nismo cars and engines won in every category they competed in… the first time we have achieved this milestone.

"The time is now right to let ordinary drivers experience what our racing drivers enjoy every time they head out onto the track. We aim to bring Nismo's passion and focus on driving excitement to mainstream models, and the Juke Nismo Concept shows what we can do," said Ghosn.

As well as producing complete performance versions of Nissan models, the company plans to expand its range of performance parts and accessories while another element of the expansion programme will see Nismo relocate to an all-new purpose designed global headquarters in Tsurumi, Yokohama at the start of 2013.

Nissan dealers in the UK already have bolt-on specialisms which they can add to the core Nissan franchise, including a performance specialism which includes the 370Z and GTR.