Nissan has ruled out a major international racing program in the near future.
The Japanese manufacturer revealed last year that it was looking at a number of options for its first global factory campaign since its attack on the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours. Those options included LMP1 prototypes, the DTM, the World Rally Championship and the World Touring Car Championship. However. Shoichi Miyatani, vp of Nissan's in-house motorsport department, NISMO, said: "With regard to what kind of motorsport we will eventually participate in, we reviewed it from all perspectives. We looked at the technical and marketing perspectives. Currently, there are no plans to participate."
Asked specifically about an LMP1 attack on the Le Mans 24 Hours and the FIA World Endurance Championship, he said: "For the time being, there are no plans for that."
Last September, Nissan vp Simon Sproule, whose remit encompasses motorsport, suggested that a decision to proceed with a major program might be imminent.
"The success in LMP2 [as an engine supplier] has allowed us to study an evolution into P1," he told AUTOSPORT. We are tending more toward sports car racing than, say, rallying."