Impul
Corporate brand
UnclaimedImpul is a Japanese automotive aftermarket and motorsport brand specializing in performance parts and tuned Nissan vehicles.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Impul, formally associated with Hoshino Impul Co., Ltd., is a Japanese automotive aftermarket company and racing organization founded by Nissan works driver Kazuyoshi Hoshino. The brand is closely identified with Nissan vehicles and has traditionally developed body kits, wheels, engine components, exhaust systems, suspension and brake upgrades, and other performance-oriented equipment for Nissan models. Its products combine road-car customization with the visual and technical identity of Japanese touring-car and single-seater racing. The company began in 1980 in Maruko-cho, Shizuoka Prefecture. Its first notable product was the IMPUL D-01 wheel, introduced within months of the company's formation. Hoshino used his Group 5 Silvia race car in Formula Silhouette competition to promote the wheel, linking the new aftermarket business directly to motorsport. Impul also established a Tokyo-area sales operation, which subsequently moved from Sayama in Saitama Prefecture to Kichijoji in Musashino, Tokyo, as the business developed. In 1983, Hoshino created Hoshino Racing Limited as a dedicated racing team. Motorsport served both as a competitive activity and as a product-development and marketing platform for Impul. The organization later competed in Japanese touring-car, sports-prototype, top-formula and Super GT categories. Its record includes success in the Japanese Touring Car Championship, Formula Nippon and Super GT. The team was associated with drivers including Hoshino, Masahiko Kageyama, Satoshi Motoyama, Benoît Tréluyer, Tsugio Matsuda, Yuji Ide and Kohei Hirate. Hoshino won for the team in an R32 Skyline GT-R during a 1990 JTCC race, while several of the team's drivers went on to win Japanese top-formula championships. Impul expanded from individual components into complete tuned vehicles. In 1987 it introduced the IMPUL 630R, a comprehensively modified version of the Y30-generation Nissan Gloria or Cedric. Later projects applied the same approach to Nissan and Infiniti models, including the Infiniti M, marketed in tuned form as the Impul 651S, and the Nissan Juke. These vehicles received combinations of exterior styling changes, engine work, braking upgrades, wheels, tires and exhaust modifications. A VIP-oriented aesthetic, emphasizing a lowered and visually distinctive luxury-sedan presence, became a recurring element of the brand's design language. The racing operation moved to Gotemba, Shizuoka, in 2002, while the company continued to develop road-car tuning and aftermarket components. From 1988 through 2022, Calsonic was the team's principal touring-car racing sponsor. The relationship continued under the Marelli name through the end of 2024. For the 2025 Super GT season, Tokyo Radiator, whose primary owner is Marelli, became the sponsoring partner identified with the team. This long-running sponsorship relationship reinforced Impul's association with Nissan competition and Japanese automotive technology suppliers. Impul remains best understood as a specialist Japanese performance brand rather than a mass-market vehicle manufacturer. Its identity rests on the combination of Nissan-focused aftermarket engineering, complete-vehicle customization, racing participation and the personal motorsport profile of Kazuyoshi Hoshino. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate current parent company, stock-market listing, financial scale or a definitive international retail structure.
History
Impul was established in 1980 by Kazuyoshi Hoshino, a Nissan works driver, in Maruko-cho, Shizuoka Prefecture. From the beginning, the company connected its commercial activities with Hoshino's racing career. Within its first year, it produced the IMPUL D-01 wheel. The wheel was promoted on Hoshino's Group 5 Silvia competing in Formula Silhouette, a Fuji Grand Champion support series, giving the product a visible competition setting rather than presenting it only as a conventional aftermarket accessory. The company opened a Tokyo-area sales center in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, soon after its founding. That operation later moved to Kichijoji in Musashino, Tokyo. In 1983, Hoshino formed Hoshino Racing Limited as a racing team. The organization was created partly to promote Impul products and partly to support the company's expansion into a broader racing and engineering operation. Around the same period, the company relocated to Shimorenjaku in Mitaka and established a nearby depot. Impul's competition activities developed across several Japanese categories. The team participated in sports-prototype competition, Japanese touring cars, Formula Nippon and later Super GT. In 1990, Hoshino scored a JTCC race victory driving the team's R32 GT-R. The organization also became associated with a succession of successful drivers. Masahiko Kageyama won the 1993 Japanese Touring Car Championship, while Satoshi Motoyama won Formula Nippon titles in 2001, 2003 and 2005. Benoît Tréluyer won the championship in 2006, and Tsugio Matsuda won in 2007 and 2008. Other drivers associated with the team included Yuji Ide and Kohei Hirate. Impul's road-car business expanded beyond separate parts during the 1980s. In 1987, the company presented the IMPUL 630R, its first fully tuned car, based on the Y30 Nissan Gloria or Cedric. Rather than limiting its work to wheels or cosmetic accessories, Impul's complete-car approach could include changes to the bumpers, engine, brakes, tires and exhaust system. The brand's styling frequently incorporated VIP-car influences, particularly for larger Nissan and Infiniti sedans. In 2002, the racing operation relocated to Gotemba, Shizuoka. After that move, the company continued emphasizing road-car tuning alongside competition. Later examples included a tuned Infiniti M known as the Impul 651S and a modified Nissan Juke. These projects extended the company's established formula of combining exterior design, mechanical upgrades and branded wheels with the identity of a specific Nissan vehicle. Sponsorship has been a durable part of Impul's racing identity. Calsonic served as the team's principal sponsor in touring-car racing from 1988 to 2022. The partnership continued after the sponsor's rebranding as Marelli through the end of 2024. In 2025, Tokyo Radiator took over the sponsoring role in Super GT; the company is primarily owned by Marelli. Impul's history therefore spans both a specialist Nissan aftermarket business and a long-running Japanese racing program, with motorsport functioning as a source of brand recognition, technical credibility and product association.
- 2025
Tokyo Radiator sponsorship in Super GT
[1]Tokyo Radiator took over the sponsoring role associated with the team in Super GT.
- 2002
Racing operation moved to Gotemba
[1]The racing organization relocated to Gotemba in Shizuoka Prefecture.
- 1990
R32 GT-R JTCC victory
[1]Kazuyoshi Hoshino became the first driver to win a JTCC race for the team in an R32 GT-R.
- 1987
IMPUL 630R launched
[1]Impul introduced its first fully tuned vehicle, based on the Y30 Nissan Gloria or Cedric.
- 1983
Hoshino Racing Limited established
[1]Hoshino formed a dedicated racing team to support competition activities and promote Impul products.
- 1980
Impul founded in Shizuoka
[1]Kazuyoshi Hoshino founded the company in Maruko-cho, Shizuoka Prefecture.
- 1980
IMPUL D-01 wheel introduced
[1]Impul produced its first product, the D-01 wheel, and promoted it through Hoshino's Group 5 Silvia racing program.
Products and positioning
A Nissan-focused Japanese performance and customization specialist that uses motorsport credibility to support aftermarket parts, VIP-style bodywork and complete tuned vehicles.
Performance wheel · 1980
IMPUL D-01
The D-01 was Impul's first product, introduced shortly after the company was founded. Its promotion through Kazuyoshi Hoshino's Group 5 Silvia in Formula Silhouette connected the wheel with the company's early competition identity and established the pattern of using racing activity to support aftermarket products.
Complete tuned vehicle · 1987
IMPUL 630R
Introduced in 1987, the 630R was Impul's first fully tuned car. It was based on the Y30-generation Nissan Gloria or Cedric and represented a move from individual components toward integrated vehicle packages combining styling and mechanical modifications.
Infiniti performance conversion
Impul 651S
The 651S was Impul's tuned version of the Infiniti M. The conversion applied the brand's established approach of modifying bodywork, engine-related systems, brakes, wheels, tires and exhaust components, with a visual treatment influenced by VIP-style Japanese luxury-car customization.
Nissan performance and styling package
Nissan Juke tuning program
Impul developed a tuning package for the Nissan Juke. As with other Impul projects, the work could encompass bumpers and other exterior elements together with engine, brake, tire and exhaust changes, extending the company's performance-and-style formula to a compact crossover.
Brand decisions
2025
Continue Super GT sponsorship with Tokyo RadiatorOtherBackground
The team's long-running Calsonic sponsorship had continued under the Marelli name through the end of 2024.
Action taken
Tokyo Radiator became the sponsoring partner identified with the team in Super GT.
Aftermath
The sponsorship relationship retained a connection to Marelli because Tokyo Radiator's primary owner is Marelli.
2002
Relocate the racing operation to GotembaStrategyBackground
The racing organization had expanded beyond its earlier Tokyo-area operating locations.
Action taken
Impul moved its racing operation to Gotemba, Shizuoka.
Aftermath
The company continued its racing activities while focusing increasingly on Nissan and Infiniti road-car tuning.
1987
Move into complete tuned vehiclesProduct launchBackground
After establishing itself with aftermarket components, Impul expanded its offer beyond individual parts.
Action taken
The company launched the IMPUL 630R, a comprehensively tuned Y30 Nissan Gloria or Cedric.
Aftermath
Complete-car conversions became an important expression of Impul's combination of styling, mechanical upgrades and motorsport-influenced branding.
1983
Create a dedicated racing organizationStrategyBackground
Impul needed a competition structure that could promote its products while supporting Kazuyoshi Hoshino's continuing racing activities.
Action taken
Kazuyoshi Hoshino formed Hoshino Racing Limited, creating a dedicated team for domestic motorsport.
Aftermath
The organization competed across Japanese touring cars, sports prototypes, top formula and Super GT, becoming a central part of Impul's brand identity.
Recent events
Sources2 sources
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