The era of Nissan sports cars in Europe is coming to an end as the GT-R is being phased out.
In a statement to CarScoops, a Nissan UK spokesperson told us that, “13 years after its European introduction as the icon of accessible automotive high performance, we can confirm that European GT-R production will end in March, 2022 due to the new EU & UK drive by noise regulations starting 1st of July 2021 (No. 540.2014).”
The lengthy piece of legislation aims to make vehicles quieter as it noted the “most recent reduction of sound level limits for motor vehicles, introduced in 1995, did not have the effects expected.” In order to fix this, noise limits have been lowered and the testing process has been revamped.
Also Read: 2022 Nissan GT-R Unveiled In Japan, T-Spec Edition Coming To US Priced At $138,490
While that’s an incredibly brief overview, the big news is the legislation has silenced Godzilla. That’s a blow for fans in Europe and it’s doubly painful as Nissan has already confirmed the new Z won’t be offered on the continent. As the company told us in 2020, the “shrinking European sports cars market and specific regulations on emissions mean that Nissan was unable to build a viable business case for the introduction of the production version of the next-generation Z-car in Europe.”
As a result, Nissan sports cars are effectively dead in Europe. Of course, the GT-R’s death isn’t too surprising as the aging model has been running into regulation roadblocks in a handful of countries including Australia, where it was phased out due to new side-impact crash test regulations.
Rumors about the next-generation GT-R have died down a bit lately, but officials have previously said they’re looking at electrification. Nissan styling guru Alfonso Albaisa has also hinted the next-generation model will feature an evolutionary design that is “less wing, more brick” which is a nod to the car being dubbed the “world’s fastest brick.”
