‘Born Bad’. This was the way Nissan described its new GT-R that was launched into the South African market recently. Before the unveiling at the just concluded Festival of Motoring in Johannesburg, Nissan had this teaser that says that the new GT-R was ‘born bad’. But yours sincerely had decided to add “but great” to explain how brilliant the new GT-R is. It is the finest GT-R ever produced by Nissan in terms of performance, beauty, comfort, pace, safety – just name it. It has everything a performance super car could boast of, yet Nissan said you don’t need to break the banks to own one. In a chat with Mr. Xavier Gobbile, Managing Director, Sales, Nissan Marketing, Africa, shortly after the launch of the car he described the Nissan GT-R as an amazing machine which has raised the bar from previous model. According to him, Nissan can- not even meet with the demand for the car in South Africa at the moment. Hear him, “The first 27 units ordered by Nissan for the South African domestic market has sold out even before they arrived, which is a huge surprise to the company. The GT-R is a super car that is offered for the price of sport car. It is a smart choice to make by any buyer.” Continuing, he said. “The feel is unique. There are few cars that can do what the GT-R does. It move like a rocket and takes your breath away.” He identified his targetted customers as car lovers, people that loves fast cars with excellent road-holding and luxury feel. Produced in Japan and launched in New York in March, the Nissan GT-R is not a mass produced car as the engine is hand-made. “The engine is a piece of art, it is not a mass produced car. It is like a piece of jewel and the biggest evolution of the GT-R,”says Xavier, whose experience in the automobile industry spans over three decades. Xavier was in Renault Motor company for 29 years and a racing driver and marathon runner, but he observed that the new GT-R is something exceptional when you compare what it offers to the price it is being sold for the market. It has a major improvement in its ultimate driving experience and more power on tap at mid- and high engine speeds. The major highlights of the all new GT-R include a 3.8 V6 twin turbo hand-built engine, that accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h in just three seconds with a top speed of 315 km/h. This engine boasts 565 horsepower, while a six speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive gives the GTR driver the best of drive on the road. Managing Director at Nissan South Africa, Mike Whitfield, said the new vehicle is a strong driver of the car makers brand and a very important part of what Nissan really stands for in terms of innovation and excitement.