We Have People Working On a New GT-R

Nissan is undertaking a massive cost-cutting agenda after losing billions in recent years due to sales falling short of investments. While the new product roadmap centers on the usual suspects, crossovers and SUVs, there’s still hope for fun cars. The Z is soldiering on and could one day be joined by a new Silvia. Better yet, a next-generation GT-R is also in development. Yes, Godzilla will return, eventually.

Speaking with Motor1 last month at the New York Auto Show, Nissan USA’s chief product planner confirmed, “The GT-R will be back, without a doubt.” Now, another high-ranking official is reinforcing that statement. Arnaud Charpentier, VP of Product Marketing Strategy, told Auto Express that the company is actively working on a new supercar:

“There are people working on this. When, how, honestly, this we don’t know. But today, we don’t just need to make a sports car, but to do one with a powertrain that we foresee [working] in the coming years. If it is electric or electrified, it needs to remain a sports car. [But] if you end up with the same performance as an EV SUV, this is an issue.”

Whatever direction Nissan takes with the R36, Charpentier says the flagship must “reinvent the notion of a sports car.” It’s been about a year and a half since the company hinted that the next GT-R might be fully electric. The Hyper Force concept, an ultra-angular supercar with 1,341 horsepower, was described by Nissan Europe’s VP of design, Giovanny Arroba, as “a tangible dream to achieve by the end of the decade.”

As you can see, various Nissan executives are eager to talk about a new GT-R, even if its release remains far off. They’re not alone. Nissan North America’s Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer, Ponz Pandikuthira, has suggested the R36 could be twinned with a third-generation Acura NSX. The next GT-R may also go electric since an “NSX-type” EV has already been confirmed to arrive later this decade.

Nissan’s new boss, Ivan Espinosa, is an enthusiast who drives his Z to work every day. His predecessor, Makoto Uchida, described him as a “real car guy.” Espinosa is also keen to bring back the Silvia, giving us reason to hope for either a new GT-R or a more accessible sports car.

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Still, we need to stay realistic. Nissan is cutting 20,000 jobs, closing seven factories, eliminating six vehicle platforms, rebadging several Renault models, pausing development on some products, and reducing parts complexity by 70 percent. How does a niche product like a sports car fit in in this grim context? It’s not as though the Z is a major commercial success that would encourage executives to greenlight another performance model.

The struggling Japanese automaker clearly has bigger priorities and isn’t likely to favor a GT-R or a Silvia at the expense of a high-volume SUV. Nissan is also developing a new Sentra sedan, among other mainstream models, that must come first. Sure, a new supercar would boost Nissan’s image and draw more people into showrooms, but the bean counters are more inclined to play it safe with volume-driven vehicles.