Next GT‑R Will Be Hybrid

Nissan says the next GT-R will not be a battery-electric car. The company’s plan for the R36 is now a hybrid powertrain instead. (autos.yahoo.com) Richard Candler, Nissan’s global head of product strategy, told Motor1 in Yokohama that “we’re not going to go with batteries in the next generation.” He said current lithium-ion battery chemistry cannot yet deliver a “GT-R-type product,” even as emissions rules push the car toward some electrification. (autos.yahoo.com) Nissan North America planning chief Ponz Pandikuthira told The Drive on April 2 that the next GT-R “has to be” an all-new car on a new chassis. He said the powertrain will be “mostly new” and suggested Nissan could keep the R35’s VR38 engine block as the basis for a hybrid system. (thedrive.com) Pandikuthira also said the current R35 setup would not meet future emissions rules in some regions, including Europe under Euro 7. He said the next GT-R needs “some level of electrification” if Nissan wants it to remain a global car. (thedrive.com) That marks a clear shift from the electric-car speculation that followed Nissan’s Hyper Force concept in 2023. Nissan’s executives are now describing hybrid power as the practical route while the company reworks its lineup and waits for battery technology to improve. (autos.yahoo.com) (global.nissannews.com) The timing matters for Nissan beyond one halo car. On April 14, the company said it will streamline its global portfolio to 45 models, lean on multiple electrified powertrains, and keep its Re:Nissan recovery plan in place as it reshapes the business. (global.nissannews.com) The outgoing GT-R left a long shadow. Nissan stopped taking orders in Japan in February 2025 after an 18-year production run, and U.S. production had already ended in October 2024 after the 2024 model year. (thedrive.com) That R35 debuted in 2007 and reached the U.S. for the 2009 model year with a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 rated at 480 horsepower. By its final run, the base car was up to 565 horsepower, while the GT-R Nismo reached 600 horsepower. (thedrive.com) Nissan Chief Executive Officer Ivan Espinosa said this week that the company is “actually working already on the GT-R.” He told The Drive the new car will return with the “credibility” and “credentials” expected of an industry icon. (thedrive.com) Pandikuthira told The Drive that Nissan could have “concrete announcements” by 2028 and hopes the R36 reaches showrooms before 2030. For now, Nissan’s message is narrower: the next GT-R is alive, and it is not going electric first. (thedrive.com)