Plans for the next generation Nissan GT-R is as good as confirmed with the newly appointed CEO of Nissan and self acclaimed “car guy”– Ivan Espinosa, who has vowed to bring the GT-R nameplate back.
So what can we hope to see with the next generation Nissan GT-R? Is it going to be electric? Hybrid? Or even diesel? Here’s what Nissan USA’s chief product planner, Ponz Pandikuthira, has to say about it through an interview with Motor1.
“Number one, it has to be a very authentic car,” and continued with “Imagine if you did a front-wheel drive electric car and called it a GT-R. Good luck, right? It needs to be authentic to its roots, and it needs to have a Nürburgring performance record.” That means it’ll most likely still come with specs that define a Nissan GT-R, like all-wheel drive, and a mid-engine layout – previously housing a six-cylinder engine.
Pandikuthira reminded that the Nissan GT-R beat the 911 turbo in its home ground (Nürburgring) which instantly earned the GT-R the credibility we now associate it with – so the next-gen GT-R will have to do the same too. But to beat the 911 today is certainly no easy feat.
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The 911 has improved drastically since then, with the fastest time around the Nürburgring belonging to the 911 GT3 RS with a 6:49.328 – almost 20 seconds faster than the previous Nürburgring attempt by Nissan with the GT-R Nismo back in 2013.
The current 911 has been given some form of electrification as seen during the launch of the new 911 GTS. Pandikuthira predicts that the next GT-R will need electrical assistance as well. “Those big horsepower cars are simply not going to meet emissions standards,” he said.
“So it’s a matter of where the tech catches up with us. Battery tech, motor tech, and it may take us a few years, but GT-R will be back, without a doubt.“
Nissan has previously revealed that they are developing sports cars with hybrid and EV powertrains, and Pandikuthira’s comments has pretty much confirmed that it is in reference to the GT-R.
The Nissan GT-R saw a bittersweet farewell with the 2025 model year being the last of the R35 generation. But with Ivan Espinosa’s vision, this farewell probably won’t last long.
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Due to conflicting visions from the previous management, the next-generation GT-R will need to start development from scratch. This may take up to four or five years which is a long time in the automotive industry, especially with Porsche’s continuous improvements on their 911.
For what it’s worth, we’re just glad that future generations will still be able to dream of a Nissan like how many of us did with the R35 and generations before it.
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