By Ramon Castro
Talk about Nissan GT-R It is treading on sacred ground for many motorsports fans. It is not just another sports car, it is a symbol of Japanese engineering that has been able to stand up to much more expensive supercars. For this reason, every decision about your future is followed with a magnifying glass.
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When R35 production came to an end in 2025, the outlook was not entirely clear. The brand was going through internal adjustments and the global discourse was strongly pointing towards electrification. In that context, the possibility of a completely electric GT-R began to take shape, although it did not convince the purists.
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Now the scenario changed. Nissan decided to draw a clear line and clear up doubts. The next GT-R will not be electric, at least not in the strict sense that many imagined.
A twist that gives peace of mind to fans
During the presentation of its roadmap for the coming years, The Japanese brand made it clear that the future GT-R will continue to be linked to combustion. This is not a setback, but rather a strategic decision based on what technology can offer today.
Richard Candler, global head of product strategy, was direct in explaining the situation: “Staunch battery technology is simply not ready for a car like the GT-R”. That phrase pretty much sums up the reason behind the decision.
The weight of the batteries, thermal management in demanding conditions and, above all, the driving experience continue to be points where a pure electric vehicle still does not reach the level expected of a car with this surname.
Electrification does not disappear
Just because it’s not electric doesn’t mean it’s stuck in the past. Everything indicates that the next GT-Rknown internally as R36, It will adopt a high-performance hybrid configuration.
The blueprint is combining the best of both worlds. On the one hand, a combustion engine that maintains that visceral response that characterizes the model. On the other hand, an electrical system that provides efficiency and more immediate power delivery.
This approach is not accidental. Nissan has been working hard on the development of hybrid technologies, seeking a balance between performance and emissions reduction. In that context, the GT-R appears as the ideal laboratory to take these solutions to the extreme.
The legacy of the R35 continues to weigh
The bar is high. The GT-R R35 left a mark that is difficult to match with its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, capable of generating 562 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque.. Added to that was a dual-clutch transmission and an all-wheel drive system that made it a precise machine both on the track and on the road.
That DNA is not negotiated. The next generation will have to not only match those figures, but surpass them, something that could be achieved thanks to the support of the hybrid system. The combination would allow stronger acceleration and a more immediate response with each step of the accelerator.
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