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Autech

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Autech
Native name
オーテック
Ōtekku
Company typeDivision
IndustryAutomotive
Founded
  • 17 September 1986; 38 years ago (1986-09-17) (as a company)[1]
  • 1 April 2022; 2 years ago (2022-04-01) (as a division)
FateMerged with Nismo
Headquarters
Chigasaki-shi
,
Japan
Key people
ServicesCar tuning
ParentNissan Motorsports & Customizing
Websitewww.autech.co.jp

Autech (オーテック, Ōtekku) is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused on tuning and converting Nissan cars. Autech was a subsidiary company of Nissan from its establishment in 1986 to 2022, when it was merged with Nismo.

History

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Autech was founded in 1986 as a subsidiary of Nissan.[2][3] Nissan named Shinichiro Sakurai, the former general manager of the company's Advanced Vehicle Design Department, as the first president of the new company.[4]

Partnership with Zagato

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On 27 May 1987 Autech and the Italian company Zagato signed an agreement to jointly produce a luxury sports car aimed mainly at the Japanese market. Autech was responsible for the engine and chassis, and Zagato of the interior and exterior design.[3][5] The new car used the platform of the Nissan Leopard and was called Autech Zagato Stelvio AZ1. It was unveiled in 1989, with 203 cars planned to be made (three of which were prototypes). Costs kept increasing during development and in the end 104 units were produced.[6]

Merging with Nismo

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In December 2021, Nissan said it would merge Autech and sister company Nismo (a motorsport operation) into a new company called Nissan Motorsports & Customizing Co., Ltd.. The merge was completed on 1 April 2022.[7][8]

Facilities

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The head offices and factory are located in Chigasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture. There are additional offices in Nagoya and Fukuoka and an ASEAN office in Bangkok, Thailand.[9]

Activities

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The Autech Zagato Stelvio AZ-1

Autech modifies various vehicles to adapt them for use by disabled people[2] and to meet the needs of different work areas.[9] It also has tuned Nissan cars.

Tuned vehicles

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1998 Nissan Skyline BCNR33 GT-R Sedan Autech
Bluebird Sylphy AXIS
Nissan X-Trail Axis

Some cars produced by Autech ("Autech Version") include the following:

References

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  1. ^ "Corporate data". Autech Japan. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b "(5) 株式会社オーテックジャパン" [(5) Autech Japan, Inc.]. Bimonthly Doctor's Plaza (in Japanese). 107. Tokyo: DRP. February 2013. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b Endo, Izuru (13 September 2013). "幻の名車「オーテック ザガート ステルビオ」を見にゆく！" [Going to see a vision of one of the finest cars: Autech Stelvio Zagato!] (in Japanese). Autoc one. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Nissan Legend Shin'ichiro Sakurai: The Real Face of Mr. Skyline". nissannews.com. Nissan USA. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Autech and Zagato unite to create a new sports car". Car Graph. 26 (8). August 1987.
  6. ^ Lawrence, Mike (1996). "Autech". A to Z of Sports Cars, 1945–1990. Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-81-8.
  7. ^ "Nissan to establish new vehicle customization and motorsports company" (Press release). Nissan. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  8. ^ "NISMOとオーテックが統合！！日産が特装・モータースポーツの新会社を設立" [Nismo and Autech to be integrated! Nissan to establish new specially-equipped and motorsports vehicle company]. Moby (in Japanese). 17 December 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Autech Japan, Inc". Bloomberg. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
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