We haven’t seen the last of ‘Godzilla.’ The Nissan GT-R is reportedly coming back with hybrid power and should be launched by 2030.
In an exclusive interview with The Drive, Nissan North America senior vice president and chief planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira said that the next-generation GT-R will be an all-new car on a new chassis, hinting that this won’t simply be a facelift of the long-running R35 GT-R that rolled off its final unit last year.
The all-new GT-R will receive a new powertrain, for the most part. Pandikuthira said that the VR38 engine from the R35 is too good to throw away. So while the R36 will receive hybrid power, expect a familiar motor under the hood.
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Nissan wants to position the R36 as a ‘global car,’ meaning the new GT-R has to meet the strict upcoming Euro 7 regulation—something that the R35’s powertrain wouldn’t pass on its own.
“The next generation GT-R will need some level of electrification,” said Pandikuthira. “So, does it need to be a full EV? Probably not, but it does need to have some level of electrification to future-proof it for emissions compatibility.”
Applying electrification to high-performance cars to bridge the gap between compliance and performance isn’t new. We’ve seen this from Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, Porsche, Mercedes, and Honda—and they’ve made very good cars while applying hybrid technology.
With the R35’s VR38DETT already acquiring legendary status, we hope to see a twin-turbo V6 hybrid to resurrect the GT-R nameplate in the coming years. Until then, Pandikuthira says that we can expect a more detailed announcement by 2028.
