Autech

Autech (オーテック, Ōtekku) is a company focused on tuning and converting Nissan cars.[2]

Autech Japan, Inc.
Native name
株式会社オーテックジャパン
Kabushiki-gaisha Ōtekku Japan
Subsidiary
IndustryCar modification
Founded17 September 1986[1]
Headquarters
Chigasaki-shi
,
Japan
Key people
Revenue¥127.8 billion (FY2013[1])
Number of employees
409 (2014[1])
ParentNissan
Websitewww.autech.jp/index.html 

History

Autech was founded in 1986 as a subsidiary of Nissan.[3][4] Nissan named Shinichiro Sakurai, the former general manager of the company's Advanced Vehicle Design Department, as the first president of the new company.[5] The company sells the cars through Nissan dealers rather than through other means.

Partnership with Zagato

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.[4][6] 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.[7]

Facilities

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.[8]

Activities
The Autech Zagato Stelvio AZ-1

Autech mainly tunes Nissan automobiles. They also modify various vehicles to adapt them for use by disabled people[3] and to meet the needs of different work areas.[8]

Tuned vehicles
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:

Motorsport vehicles

Autech Japan also tunes GT500 class Nismo racing car engines (Skyline GT-R R34 and Fairlady Z Z33) competing in the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (renamed to Super GT in 2005) against other tuners such as BMW Motorsport, Mugen, and Toyota Technocraft.

References
  1. "Corporate data". Autech Japan. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  2. "Business Outline". Autech Japan. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  3. "(5) 株式会社オーテックジャパン" [(5) Autech Japan, Inc.]. Bimonthly Doctor's Plaza (in Japanese). Tokyo: DRP. 107. February 2013. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  4. 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.
  5. "Nissan Legend Shin'ichiro Sakurai: The Real Face of Mr. Skyline". nissannews.com. Nissan USA. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  6. "Autech and Zagato unite to create a new sports car". Car Graph. 26 (8). August 1987.
  7. Lawrence, Mike. "Autech". A to Z of Sports Cars, 1945–1990. Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-81-8.
  8. "Autech Japan, Inc". Bloomberg. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.