Jul 15, 2014 - 1 min read

Nissan Global Headquarters Gallery

Experience the future of Automotive Technology

By Manish Prabhune

Community writer

Want to see the latest innovations in automobile technology? Want to experience how it feels to sit in a GT-R? Look no further, the Nissan Global Headquarters Gallery at Yokohama has you covered!

The gallery is conveniently located, a 5-minute walk from JR Yokohama Station. Look for the exit towards Minatomirai and take the "Hama Mirai Walk", a small bridge which connects to the Nissan Headquarters Building. The gallery and the surrounding waterfront with the nighttime illumination are a romantic setup.

I have been to the Nissan Gallery in Higashi-Ginza, a prime location, but the Yokohama gallery is much more spacious, brightly lit with a glass structure and awesome wide LED displays offering an enhanced user experience. The cars on display are quite spaced out too.

The first thing I personally was looking forward to was to experience the GT-R. My home country is India, and the world-class cricketer from India, Sachin Tendulkar, chose the GT-R 530 over a Ferrari and I really wanted to know what would have made him choose it.

Got my chance after a 5-minute wait. Difficult to put in words, but you can feel the rush of adrenaline the moment you get behind the wheel. Just feels so empowering... honestly they should have a test drive of the GT-R.

It was a visual treat to check out the sports car from all angles and ended up spending quite some time around this single car on display. The tail lights, the wheels, the dashboard, everything awesome. If I had a lot of money in the bank...,well, just daydreaming.

Some other sports cars on display. 2014 is the 80th year for Nissan since the company was founded and they have set up a display space specifically to showcase all the Formula One cars that have been participating in various events.

One more "concept" which you can experience is the Nissan ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car), which reaches a speed above 300 km/h using electric power alone! Call a it shinkansen (bullet train) packaged as a car. Simply awesome!

The aerodynamic design makes it look like a concept rather than a real vehicle, and it even competed in the 2014 "24 Hours of Le Mans" race. It's quite amazing that electric cars have come so far in terms of innovation and efficiency. An environment friendly Zero Emission Formula One race seems set to be a reality in a few years time?

I majored in Mechanical Engineering in college and the cut section of the engine on display was an obvious target that I got attracted to. The "Intelligent Dual Clutch Control System" is an optimized engine offering fuel consumption of a compact car with good acceleration.

I generally wanted to inquire more technical stuff for the engine, but not many engineering staff around in the gallery to hold that conversation....,but that's fine; one can check the internet for the same.

Looking for more information regarding the "Intelligent Dual Clutch Control System", I found that the gallery offers free Wi-Fi and I connected to it. Just a short registration and I was connected! Free Wi-Fi spots are increasingly popular with tourists, so this is a great opportunity here at the gallery.

The gallery doesn't not only have sports cars, but enough models on display from the premium segment, family cars and all other segments which Nissan caters to.

The electric car in the news recently, the LEAF, was also on display along with the docking station for charging the car. Electric cars have somehow not yet convinced on a large scale, but I hope this becomes the norm, the sooner the better, bearing in mind the process of global warming.

Interesting "Nissan Mobility Concept", the ultra-compact electric vehicle "Choimobi" can be rented at the gallery premises. It is a zero-emission vehicle like the Nissan LEAF, but is a more compact design optimized for mobility. Still, for rent only so far, no regular commercial offering yet.

Spotted this cute kid trying a driving simulator in one corner of the Nissan Gallery. There were a few terminals for kids to enjoy. Professional class driving simulators by game maker Polyphony Digital (Gran Turismo) also are set up in the gallery.

The kids playing area from the top, with many books, tablet devices etc.

The gallery also has a shop selling Nissan memorabilia, but honestly, some car models were quite costly. I didn't buy anything, but if you are a hardcore Nissan fan, this is one place to check for merchandize.

The gallery has tablet devices installed in front of all the cars on display, and you can check out the content of the brochures. One can get away without much staff interaction to know the details of each car on display.

I nearly missed the Heritage Corner in the gallery, it's slightly towards the back side of the gallery. It's interesting to note the various vintage models of Nissan. Unfortunately these models are not on live display; however, there is a wallpaper with elaborate details and information on the history of these Nissan products.

The gallery has an elaborate space facing the waterfront where there is a Starbucks Cafe to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee.

If you like cars and technology, the Nissan Global Headquarters Gallery can be a 2-3 hour visit. It can be a family outing including great food in the nearby restaurants of the bay area. Walking back from the bay area to JR Yokohama Station, there were these beautiful street lights.

The Japanese automotive industry is one of the most prominent and largest industries in the world, and events like Tokyo Motor Show attracts not only locals, but many international visitors. Nissan, the automotive major, has a gallery in Higashi Ginza which attracts many visitors, and I remember visiting the gallery before I had finally decided to buy a family car Nissan Note in 2007. It was by chance that I discovered a much more spacious Nissan Gallery in Yokohama near the headquarters of the company, a recommended place if you want to check out the latest offerings from Nissan or if you are just curious to experience the GT-R.

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Manish Prabhune

By Manish Prabhune

Community writer

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Nicole Bauer

Nicole Bauer 10 years ago

Great! Thanks for letting us know.

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Manish Prabhune

Manish Prabhune Photographer 10 years ago

The latest GT-R Nismo is on display starting this October.

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