Cue Bon Jovi’s song.
The Nissan GT-R is a classic car that has been in production since late 2007. Despite being refreshed many times over its extraordinary life span, it still has 12 year-old bones. Although the next Godzilla is in the making, it doesn’t appear that we will be seeing it anytime soon. Top Gear sat down with Philippe Klein (a member of Nissan’s planning board), to discuss the supercar and why it is important that we be patient.
Klein answered the question of the magazine: “Is the GT-R a future model in Nissan’s lineup?”
“Yes, we believe in you! Our priority is to make driving enjoyable. Electric vehicles are very enjoyable to drive. We’re also moving our petrol engines to electrification using hybrid e-power. We would prefer that the regulations do not affect how much fun it is to drive the car.
Klein stated that engineers are working on “different options” for the powertrain, and added that regulations are a major consideration. It could be that the new GT-R will be electrified to comply with stricter emissions laws. Klein claims that Nissan is “defending” the sports car in the sense that they are doing their best to keep it alive. For this reason, engineers are creating the R36 to meet stricter regulations.
It is a concern that the GT-R is heavy, as it isn’t exactly the lightest supercar on the market today. The 2019 U.S.-spec GT-R Pure model is 3,929 pounds (1.782 kilograms). Although electrifying the coupe will add weight, Klein claims that a hybrid GT-R wouldn’t have any negative effect on the car’s driving experience.
Similar to how the R34 was transformed into the R35, the R36 will likely feature major technical changes compared to today’s older car. When will the next generation arrive? Nissan is the only one who knows.
The iconic nameplate will be celebrating its 50th th birthday at New York Auto Show with a special edition that includes visual tweaks. The show will also feature the flagship GTR Nismo, along with minor weight loss and mechanical improvements.