Rumours of the next next-generation Nissan GT-R will turn to hybrid power have been floating around for a few years now, and while nothing is confirmed yet, a hybrid GT-R feels inevitable. With Nissan unveiling their facelifted 2017 GT-R earlier in the year, they can now turn their attention to the R35’s successor which is set to debut in 2020.
Nissan chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura told Automotive News that work is under way on making a more fuel efficient, better proportioned GT-R, in an interview published on Monday. Nakamura dropped very strong hints that the R36 GT-R will be a hybrid because Nissan wants to boost efficiency and performance over the current car.
“Electrification is almost inevitable for any car,” Nakamura said. “If the next-generation GT-R has some electrification, nobody would be surprised at that time.”
It’s easy to imagine that Nissan could take a similar approach to what McLaren did with its P1 supercar, which uses an electric motor to compensate for the lag of its heavily turbocharged V8 engine. It is also worth noting that one of the GT-R’s traditional rivals, the Honda / Acura NSX, has also embraced hybridization.
Nakamura also says the next GT-R will look fairly different than its predecessor, all in the service of better performance.
“I think we can change to better proportions–the width, the height,” Nakamuras said. “Anything that we change on this car will contribute to better performance, better aero.”
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R36 GTR, 400ZX, S16 Silvia, a RWD based AWD Twin turbo Maxima, V8 NISMO supercharged Titan, Diesel Performance Titan XD, NISMO Armada & Nismo Sentra 510 all need to be a part of Nissan’s new lineup.