A Nissan executive confirmed to Motor1 that the R36 GT-R won’t be battery powered—but it will be a hybrid.
It’s been a big week for fans of the Nissan GT-R. During our visit to the company’s headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, we learned a lot about the next “Godzilla.” CEO Ivan Espinosa confirmed that the R36 is already in development and hinted that even more sports cars could follow in the future.
After speaking with Espinosa, we also sat down with Richard Candler, Nissan’s global head of product strategy and the key figure behind the planning of the next-generation R36 GT-R. He provided even more insight into what’s coming—and it should be welcome news for enthusiasts.
Most importantly, Candler confirmed that the R36 GT-R won’t be electric. He explained:
‘I think what we’ve seen so far is that electric sports cars haven’t been hugely popular. I think they’ll come as better battery technology takes its next leap, but the current lithium chemistries are not capable of producing a GT-R-type product. We’re not going to go with batteries in the next generation. No way.’
Nissan R35 GT-R
That said, given modern emissions regulations outside of the US, a hybrid R36 GT-R is inevitable. Candler continued:
‘[GT-R] will have to be electrified because of emissions regulations at some level, of course. It’s just common sense that you would have a sense of electrification, but the battery’s a limiting factor. The battery chemistry is not strong enough yet to be able to deliver the requirements of the GT-R.’
We’ll have to wait and see exactly what the powertrain of the next GT-R looks like, but all of the early details are promising.
Motor1’s Take: A gas-powered GT-R is great news for enthusiasts. Without the proper EV technology, a battery-powered version of Godzilla doesn’t make much sense. Even with hybridization, the R36 is already shaping up to be something special.
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