Development of the VG series began in 1979, led by Nissan Machinery, a member of the Nissan Group at the time. The programme aimed to replace Nissan's long-running inline-six engine, whose lineage traced back to the Mercedes-Benz M180 of 1951, with a completely new V6 that would offer better performance, improved fuel economy, greater refinement, and a more compact package suitable for both longitudinal and transverse installation.
Nissan engineers used extensive computer-aided design techniques, making the VG one of the more technically advanced engines of its era. The engine featured sequential multi-port fuel injection and Nissan's Electronic Concentrated Control System (ECCS), which used a microprocessor and oxygen sensor to manage fuel delivery, ignition timing, exhaust gas recirculation, and idle speed simultaneously. The ECCS system reduced emissions, improved cold-start behaviour, and delivered sharper part-throttle response compared to contemporary carburettor-equipped designs.
All VG engines use a timing belt to synchronise the camshafts with the crankshaft. The engine family debuted in Japan in 1983 in the Nissan Gloria and Nissan Cedric, and reached US and export markets in the 1984 Nissan 300ZX. Nissan grouped the VG under the internal branding PLASMA — an acronym for Powerful and Economic, Lightweight, Accurate, Silent, Mighty, Advanced.
Early VG engines used SOHC cylinder heads with two valves per cylinder. Later versions introduced DOHC heads with four valves per cylinder and N-VCT, Nissan's own variable valve timing system.
The VG20E, displacing 1,998 cc, produced between 115 PS and 125 PS and appeared in a range of Japanese-market saloons and coupés including the Gloria, Cedric, and Leopard. A turbocharged variant, the VG20ET, added a variable-geometry turbocharger to produce 170 hp and was offered in the Nissan 300ZX Z31 and Leopard F31. The DOHC VG20DET used a ceramic turbocharger and intercooler to reach 210 PS.
The most widely used member of the family was the 2,960 cc VG30E, producing 153 hp to 160 hp depending on application. It powered the 1984–1989 Nissan 300ZX and several North American market saloons and SUVs. A turbocharged derivative, the VG30ET, was available with a single Garrett T3 turbocharger producing 200 PS in USDM and JDM specification; European versions were rated at 230 hp. The twin-turbocharged VG30DETT, fitted to the 1989–2000 Nissan 300ZX Z32, developed 304 PS with a hybrid T22/TB02 twin-turbo arrangement and Nissan's NVTCS valve timing control.
A 3.3-litre variant, the VG33E, was produced from 1996 to 2004 in cast iron block form for Nissan SUVs and pickup trucks including the Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra, producing 170–180 hp. A supercharged VG33ER developed 210 hp for the Frontier SC and Xterra SC.
When the VQ engine family debuted in 1994, the VG was progressively phased out of Nissan's passenger car range. The VG remained in truck and van applications until 2004.
The most significant motorsport application of the VG family was the heavily modified VG30ET used in the Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo and NPT-90 factory racing prototypes in the IMSA GT Championship. Both the production block casting and cylinder head castings were carried into the racing programme, with Toyota Racing Development engineers and Nissan Motorsports developing the unit to competition specification.
In racing trim, the turbocharged 3.0-litre unit produced over 551 kW (749 PS) at 8,000 rpm and over 686 N-m of torque at 5,500 rpm — roughly four times the output of the road-going equivalent. The GTP ZX-Turbo debuted in 1985, and the programme evolved into the NPT-90 and NPT-91 chassis used from 1990.
The Nissan factory GTP programme won the IMSA GT Championship drivers' and manufacturers' titles three consecutive years running, establishing the VG30ET as one of the dominant powerplants in American endurance racing of its era. These results came in direct competition with factory Porsche, Jaguar, and Toyota efforts.
The VG30DETT was also adapted for the NPT-90 and NPT-91 race cars in non-production form, using the twin-turbo DOHC layout of the road 300ZX Z32.
The VG engine family established Nissan as a serious player in V6 engine technology at a time when Japanese manufacturers were widely adopting the configuration to replace older inline-six designs. Its IMSA GTP racing success gave the VG30ET a motorsport legacy disproportionate to the engine's road-car fame, and the factory Nissan GTP programme remains one of the more celebrated chapters in American sports car racing history.