NISSAN has announced a major development to bring professional race car technology to its road cars.
Called NissanConnect NISMO Plus, it’s essentially a telemetry system which allows drivers to record data on a track and then review it later on a PlayStation in the Gran Turismo 6 game.
The system logs driver inputs and combines this with data on the GT-R NISMO’s speed, RPM and GPS location to build up a full digital reconstruction of a lap.
Drivers can then load this on to the games console and bring the digital recording to life to perfect their lines further.
This unprecedented technology will help drivers analyse and improve real-world performance from the comfort of their sofa.
NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani said: “NissanConnect NISMO Plus makes professional telemetry technology available to NISMO road car drivers. This data allows GT-R NISMO customers to analyse their laps and push for improvements using the same technology as our NISMO athletes.”
NISMO’s Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, Darren Cox, said: “We’ve taken drivers from virtual to reality with NISMO GT Academy, and now we’re bringing real-world laps back to Gran Turismo 6 with NissanConnect NISMO Plus, bringing both worlds even closer.
“This is a piece of serious technology designed for professional race teams which can now be used to deliver ultimate excitement to NISMO road car drivers.”
Nissan has developed a wealth of experience in using digital technology to enhance performance on-track through the NISMO GT Academy programme.
NissanConnect NISMO Plus is inspired by the system used to help NISMO athletes such as Lucas Ordóñez push for faster lap times.
In addition to compatibility with Gran Turismo 6, NissanConnect NISMO Plus sends data from the circuit to a smartphone application.
The app allows drivers to instantly review their performance with lap-time measurement, data analysis and racing line overlays that work with Google Maps. The system will support 178 circuits worldwide.
NissanConnect NISMO Plus will be integrated with Gran Turismo 6 in the summer, with a smartphone application launching in the autumn.