- Nissan has yet to decide when it will launch the current GT-R’s replacement.
- A successor to the R35 GT-R could take inspiration from the Hyper Force concept.
- A concept was presented with an electric powertrain delivering 1,341 hp.
It’s been more than a decade since reports and rumors about the replacement to the current Nissan GT-R first started to circulate and yet, here we are in mid-2024, without an R36 GT-R. So, will this new supercar finally become a reality?
According to a recent report out of Australia, Nissan is committed to building a new GT-R but has yet to decide when to launch such a model. Given its lengthy gestation, it’s possible it could be one of the company’s first models to use solid-state battery technology.
Read: Nissan GT-R Gets A Double Dose Of Heritage With T-Spec Takumi & Skyline Specials For US
Nissan confirmed in April plans to launch EVs with advanced solid-state batteries by fiscal year 2028, but before it does that, it will start constructing its first solid-state batteries at a Japanese facility in March 2025. This schedule could line up nicely with a successor to the existing GT-R, prompting Drive to speculate the new supercar could be Nissan’s first model to use these advanced batteries.
According to Nissan’s senior vice president and chief planning officer for the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania region, Francois Bailly, EVs fit into the company’s sports car ambitions. He also reiterated that the next GT-R will not be “half-baked.”
“I mean we’re doing Formula E, right? Track-to-road learning,” he said. “None of us – I didn’t join Nissan to do a minivan, my first car was a Nissan Z. So yes, the short answer is yes [we will continue to build sports cars]. The question is when can those cars move to EV? And that goes back to the technology. We need to develop the blocks so that the car makes sense. We will not do a half-baked GT-R, that’s not the intention. So, the when is the difficult question.”
Nissan raised hopes of an electric successor to the R35 in late last year with the launch of the bold Hyper Force concept. The car packed a solid-state battery and electric motors combining to produce 1,341 hp or 1,000 kW. However, the brand has failed to say if it will spawn a production model, simply stating that it’s an “homage to Nissan’s high-performance cars,” and a symbol of the brand’s future.
